Ida Blanche Williams

Her funeral will be at noon Monday at Calvert & Metzler Memorial Home, Bloomington, with visitation from 10 a.m. to noon prior to the funeral. Burial will be in East Lawn Memorial Gardens, Bloomington. Memorials may be made to Mennonite College of Nursing at Illinois State University or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Ida was born May 7, 1930, in Ellsworth, a daughter of Fred and Blanche Sutton Wonderlin. She graduated from Ellsworth High School. She married Clifford L. Williams on Oct. 30, 1949, in Ellsworth. He preceded her in death on Dec. 18, 1976.

Ida was known as a very caring, hard-working woman with an endearing personality. She worked many years for her sister and brother-in-law at Snyder's Markets in Bloomington. After the death of her husband, she worked as hostess and bookkeeper for Arnie's Restaurant at the Bloomington airport. She enjoyed all of the people she met there, including the Britt Airways pilots, who became family friends. She later worked for many years at Jack Lewis Jewelry, at both the Eastland Mall and the Eastland Drive locations. She also worked in the hospitality business at the Signature Inn, Jerry's Restaurant, and the Radisson Hotel. She enjoyed living in the country and working in her yard. She loved attending events involving her children and grandchildren, including attending every game through every type of weather without complaint when her grandson played on the LeRoy state championship football team. She also enjoyed crocheting afghans, watching Lawrence Welk, and driving her “super-charged” Riviera. Mom was a one-of-a-kind person who will be missed beyond words.

She is survived by her children, Wayne A. (Barbara) Williams, Bloomington, and Denise D. (Gary) Wilson, Bloomington; her grandchildren, Andrew (Jennifer) Williams, LeRoy; Anthony (Terra) Williams, Washington; Cole (Anne) Wilson, Washington; and Lauren (Brian) Tedder, Sahuarita, Ariz.; her great-grandchildren, Lyvia and Levi Williams, Washington; Izzabelle, Zoey and Tucker Wilson, Washington; and Miles Tedder, Sahuarita, Ariz.; her sisters, Leta Snyder and Fleta Meiner, both of Bloomington; her brother-in-law, Delmer Walden, Saybrook; and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; her sister, Eleanor Walden; her brother, Merwin Wonderlin; her sister-in-law, Mary Jane Wonderlin; her brothers-in-law, Richard Snyder and Aaron Meiner; and special friends, Dick Williams and Jim Swearingen.

The family would like to thank the staff of Martin Health Center for their loving care over the past 1½ years, and Dr. Sven Klauss and his nurse Joan for ensuring all of her health care needs were met and truly caring for Ida as the wonderful person she was.