Patricia "Pat" Williams

Pat Williams, age 87, passed away on March 21, 2024. She was born May 7, 1936 in Akron, Ohio, where she lived most of her life. She was a North Hill girl at heart.

Pat was preceded in death by her husband Robert (Bob) Williams in 2015, her sister Sandy Gallagher, and her parents Sam and Anna Meyer. She is survived by her three loving children Bob (Wendy) Williams, Jeff (Michelle) Williams, Patty (Mark) Trudics, 10 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren, her dear siblings Sally Deckard, George Meyer (Carrie), and Linda Bickler (Tom).

Pat was very grateful for the loving care her children gave her, especially after Bob passed away. She said her children really watched out for her, did everything for her, and took good care of her. She enjoyed a very special relationship with each of her siblings, treasuring the hours she spent on the phone talking to them. They all looked up to their big sister and thought the world of her.

Pat had many friends and was especially adept at listening, caring, or sharing a laugh. She was the go-to person when others needed to express their deepest thoughts, problems, or to share good news. She made friends easily, she cared about people, and she loved talking to people, getting to know them. And the feeling was mutual, Pat was loved by many.

Pat did not have a TV during her childhood years, so going to the movies was a favorite pastime. She had so many fond memories of riding the bus downtown with her mom to watch movies which cost 35¢ at that time. As a child, Pat went to many Lithuanian picnics and get-togethers which instilled in her a strong pride of her heritage. She also spent many, many fun times hiking at the Gorge. Her childhood was a full and happy one.

Her leadership roles began early. In third grade, she was president of her neighborhood sewing club. In sixth grade, she was in Quiz Down, similar to Academic Challenge. She was a Girl Scout. She was a cheerleader. During her high school years, she was in the Beacon Journal numerous times, even her appendix operation made the newspaper! She was Senior Class Secretary, President of Vi-Ettes, a Student Council member, on the Viking Staff, a member of the Glee Club, and was in the Honor Society. She was an attendant of the Queen of the May (a formal dance) her senior year. She received the Special Recognition for Honors Award from the North High PTA (a competition with students from other high schools). She was voted “Most Likely to Succeed” and “Most Cooperative.”

She had several big honors in high school: She attended Buckeye Girls’ State where she was elected Auditor of Bickerdyke. This included having tea at the Governor’s Mansion. Her senior year, Pat received the Womanhood Award. She wrote the commencement speech for her graduating class “What Do I Owe the World?” While her GPA garnered her the honor of Valedictorian, times were different then, and her counselor informed her that a fellow male student would be named Valedictorian. With a smile on her face, and her head held high, she walked across the stage as Salutatorian.

When her three children were attending Forest Hill Elementary School, Pat was actively involved in the PTA, including serving as President. In 1966, she wrote a play commemorating the school’s 50th anniversary. She helped plan her 20 year high school class reunion. She wrote poetry. She and Bob enjoyed playing cards with friends and neighbors, and they bowled many years on leagues. They also enjoyed walking in the metro parks, earning their Fall Hiking Spree staffs.

Pat was a long-time member of Forest Hill Community Church where she also volunteered in the church office for many years. Pat taught Sunday School for over 50 years, even teaching into her 80s. She also attended Moody Bible Institute.

Her career included being a Kelly Girl at Firestone Tire & Rubber Company where she worked for the top executives. She worked at the Chapel Hill Sears store in the Catalog Department for 23 years. After retirement, she volunteered at the Akron Blind Center in the office. They saw how valuable her skills were and quickly hired her where she ended up working for 13 years. In addition to working in the office, she taught blind adults how to do crafts.

Pat enjoyed doing crafts with her grandchildren, and they all adored her. Over the years, she made many crocheted gifts and plastic canvas baby blocks for friends and family. She knitted, did needlepoint, embroidery, and numerous other crafts. She was an accomplished seamstress, making clothes, robes, purses, and especially awesome Halloween costumes. She enjoyed Sudoku and crossword puzzles. She played the organ. She wallpapered the house – several times! She was very interested in genealogy and thoroughly enjoyed researching her family’s history. She was a voracious reader of most any subject though she especially enjoyed history. Her dream job would have been an archaeologist – a little known fact about Pat!

When Pat was 86, she reluctantly moved from her home of over 60 years into an independent living facility. Within one week of living at Cardinal Retirement Village, Pat admitted she was so happy that “we made her move”! She absolutely loved living at Cardinal. Pat, being the social butterfly that she was, immediately made many, many new friends, and she treasured them all. She loved attending Drum Fit, Balloflex, Trivial Pursuit game night, sing-a-longs, and many other activities. Pat’s family is appreciative of how caring and helpful the Cardinal staff was.

Pat was an optimist – the glass was always half full. Summing up Pat’s life is easy: She was a good person. She lived a good life.

The family would like to give special thanks to the following: Dr. Jordan Winter (Chief of Surgical Oncology at University Hospitals) for always answering Patty’s phone calls to his personal cell phone and for him sincerely looking out for Pat’s best interests; thanks to the kind, caring, attentive, and thorough doctors, nurses, and staff at Western Reserve Hospital who treated Pat like royalty; and thanks to the wonderful staff at Cardinal.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Summit Metro Parks in Pat’s memory, to commemorate all the family picnics and hikes that Bob, Pat, Bob, Jeff, and Patty enjoyed together, especially at the Gorge. (https://foundation.summitmetroparks.org/donate-in-memory-honor/ or Summit Metro Parks, 975 Treaty Line Rd, Akron, OH 44313)

Calling hours are WEDNESDAY, March 27, 2024, from 11 AM to 1 PM at the Billow FALLS Chapel, 1907 23rd Street, Cuyahoga Falls. A brief memorial service will follow the calling hours beginning at 1 PM. Interment at Northlawn Memorial Gardens.

Services in care of The Billow Funeral Homes & Crematory, Falls Chapel, 1907 23rd Street, Cuyahoga Falls, OH  44223.

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