Tito Williams

Dec 2, 1933 -

Dec 5, 2022

On Dec. 5, 2022, Theresa "Tito" Anne Williams passed away, at the age of 89, with family by her side. Tito was born to Beatrice Bennett and Alva Hollander on Dec. 2, 1933, in Pasadena, Calif. Her parents eventually divorced and she spent much of her childhood traveling between families. Though it wasn't always easy, the experience spurred her love for travel and a certain sense of adventure.

After graduating from UC Berkeley in 1954, she found herself acting with a theater group at Sacramento State. It was during a production of The Taming of the Shrew, where she met the love of her life, Roy Williams, as Hortensio. They married soon after in 1957, and would go on to have eight children. In addition to raising a large family, she had a career as an elementary school teacher, a time she remembered fondly.

In 1980, Tito and Roy made the momentous decision to move the family from sunny California all the way up to Alaska. They eventually settled down in Eagle River, where their youngest children attended school, joined the swim team and made friends - and Tito and Roy welcomed more children into their family with open arms. Tito put her talents to use in the community, including serving on countless PTA boards, swim team boards and the board for the Alaska State Fair. She also obtained a master's degree from Alaska Pacific University in education.

Over the next 40 years, Tito became a grandmother to 12 grandchildren, hosted countless family gatherings, trounced her family at Scrabble, traveled the world and celebrated more than 60 years of marriage.

She is survived by her adoring children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There will be a memorial service for her at Beach Lake Chalet on Jan. 14, 2023, at 4 p.m.