Margaret Williams

Margaret Faye Williams 

Mother • Daughter • Sister • Friend

Born Margaret Faye Reed on May 23, 1947, in Montgomery, Alabama, to Jeff Farris and Minnie Lee Williams, Margaret committed her life to Christ on August 7, 1966, at Friendship Baptist Church, which she faithfully attended every Sunday. 

Margaret grew up in Massillon, Ohio, and graduated from Washington High School in 1965. In Margaret's high school years, she enjoyed playing the trombone in the high school band and participated as an avid competitor on the speech team. After graduating, she decided to move to Chicago. Margaret gave birth to her one and only precious daughter, Lavi Vonielle Rouser.  

Before finding herself homebound, Margaret enjoyed serving at several churches, including Faith Tabernacle Church in Chicago, where she was a member for many years. Margaret loved God, and if you ever walked into her home, you could expect to hear the Word of God blasting in your ears. It was her source of strength, encouragement, and comfort. Her confession to the end of her life was always, "God has been good to me."

Margaret worked many menial jobs before fulfilling her longtime dream of continuing her education at DePaul University. She earned a B.S. in business administration in 1982 and later received her master's degree in marketing. She worked at Rush St. Luke Presbyterian Hospital as an administrative manager in the Department of Psychiatry for many years, later retiring after becoming disabled. However, that did not stop her. With her daughter's encouragement, Margaret became a third-grade substitute teacher at Chicago Public Schools (CPS), and she always talked and laughed about the lessons she learned from her students. She later took an illness leave from CPS, retiring in June 2006. 

Margaret was also a real estate agent and served in her community, volunteering at the Oak Park Mental Health Board. She loved reading, writing poetry, and jogging. Margaret loved to share her wealth of information and knowledge about almost any topic. She had a gift to listen with her heart and counsel her friends and loved ones according to God's Word. She had a way of allowing people to touch her sometimes hidden sweetness as she would freely give from the depths of her heart. 

Margaret was preceded in death by her daughter, Lavi, in 2013, and her brother Edward L. Harris in 2016. Those left to cherish her memory include her caretaker and sister, Joeann (Larry) Kohn, Oak, Park, Ill.; sisters Marjean Polk and Peatrilla Harris, both of Cincinnati, Ohio; three brothers, Jimmie Lee Williams, Rufus Williams (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.), and Jeff Harris (Grand Prairie, Tex.); a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and devoted friends, many of whom visited her; and those who helped to care for in during her final weeks.

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