Mae Beth Williams
Apr 6, 1944 -
Jan 21, 2020
Mae Beth Williams, age 75, passed away in Grants Pass, Ore., in the company of family at her home on Jan. 21, 2020, due to complications of cancer.
Beth was born on April 6, 1944, in Illinois to Anne Maude McCarty Emge and Norman Joseph Emge and was raised in Evansville, Ind. She married Carey P. Williams III in Bloomington, Ind., on April 22, 1967. She earned a B.A. in English Literature from Indiana University in 1975.
Beth and Carey called many places home over the course of their marriage, including Buckden, England; Battle Creek, Mich.; Warren, Ohio; Lake Orion, Mich.; Canton and Dayton, Ohio; Anchorage, Alaska; and settled for their retirement in Grants Pass. Beth held a variety of jobs, but during her time in Oregon she worked as a fiduciary and conservator.
Beth was an avid reader, enjoyed travel, the arts and the outdoors, all passions she bequeathed to her children. She was an active volunteer throughout her adult life, supporting such organizations as the Southern Oregon Fly Fishers, Cub and Boy Scouts, and the Hugh O'Brian Youth Foundation. She was also an active member of the Zonta Club of Grants Pass and AAUW.
Beth is survived by her brother, N. Keith Emge; her son, Gordon Ian Williams; daughter-in-law, Leah Wrenn Berman Williams; and granddaughters, Ilana Elizabeth Williams and Matilda Chesla Williams; and her son, Sean Dees; and daughter-in-law, Stephonee Dees.
She is predeceased by her husband Carey P. Williams III (1939 - 2011). She will be interred with him at Eagle Point Military Cemetery in a private family ceremony.
Donations may be made in her memory to Zonta Club of Grants Pass Foundation, P.O. Box 1615, Grants Pass, OR 97528, or to CaringBridge.org.
The family would like to thank the staff of Countryside Assisted Living and the excellent caregivers from Southern Oregon In Home Care, Three Rivers Hospital and Bristol Hospice who attended her and helped ease her passing, and to encourage readers to obtain regular breast cancer screenings.
