Dorothy F. Williams

WILLIAMS, Dorothy Funston, age 109, graciously passed away on Saturday morning and completed her historic journey full of wonderful memories, friends, and family. She witnessed world changing events, wars, constitutional amendments, and inventions, as her life spanned three centuries. Dorothy was born on June 9th, 1895 in Toronto, Canada. As a young girl her parents moved to Chicago, IL, a town Dorothy identified with her entire life. Dorothy married Lawrence Williams in 1923 and she partnered with him in a pharmaceutical business. They had three children Lawrence, Betsie and Donald. Her two boys were soldiers of the Korean War, and her daughter Betsie married Robert F. Jefferis, Sr., an attorney, and brought five grandchildren into her world. After her husband’s passing in 1954, Dorothy had many more careers and she never re-married. She worked as a housemother at various sororities. Dorothy loved to keep on the move, and it was very rare in her lifetime that she would live at a single location for more than two years. During her retirement she lived in Chicago, IL, Eureka Springs, AK, Evansville, IN, Tulsa, OK, Tallahassee, FL, Decatur, IL, Indianapolis, IN Lafayette, IN, Cincinnati, Dayton and Oakwood, OH before settling in at St. Leonard’s in Centerville at the youthful age of 92. Dorothy’s intelligence, humor, talents, charm, and sharp wit touched the lives of the staff and resident community. She started her new life with St. Leonard’s by moving from room to room and hall to hall within the independent living area. At the age of 102 she moved to the assisted living facility, and it wasn’t until a brief illness at the age of 107 that she agreed to let the nursing care people help her with her routines. Dorothy leaves behind her son-in-law Robert Jefferis Sr., five grandchildren; Jean, Robert Jr., Steven, Mark and Joe Jefferis, as well as six great-grandchildren who will always remember and cherish the legacy Dorothy created. Memorial services will be held Wednesday, April 27, 2005 at 4:30 PM at St. Leonard’s Health Care Center Chapel, Bldg. #4 (not the Main Chapel), 8100 Clyo Rd., Centerville. Condolences may be sent to the family via the website at www.routsong.com.

Funeral Home:
Kettering Routsong Funeral Home
2100 E. Stroop Rd.
Kettering, OH
US 45429