Ruth (Wise) Williams

Ruth Wise Williams passed away in her home on September 7, 2021. Services will be held Sunday, September 12, at 4 pm in the sanctuary at Sycamore Baptist Church. Visitation will begin at 3 pm. A graveside service at Evergreen Cemetery will follow.

Ruth Wise was born July 6, 1928, the second child of John Allen Wise and Annie Mae Russell Wise. She was born at home in Coffee County, Alabama. Ruth is preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Raymond Eugene Williams; her daughter, Anna Elizabeth Williams; her sister, Clara Jean Wise McInish and brother-in-law Dwight McInish; her brother, James Arthur Wise. She is survived by her children, Michael Eugene Williams, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina; Mellissa Williams Walker and husband Barry, and granddaughter Ansley Elizabeth Walker of Sylacauga; and her sister-in-law, Joyce French Wise. She is survived by nephews and nieces Pete McInish, Dothan; Ruth McInish Williamson (Richard), Montgomery; Allen Wise (Mary Ashley), Andalusia; and Amy Wise-Coble, Santa Rosa Beach, Florida.

Ruth finished high school in Samson, Alabama and received a BS from the University of Alabama in 1950 in Clothing, Textiles, and Related Art. Upon graduation she began working in the Design Department at Avondale Mills in Sylacauga. In 1955, she left Avondale and worked as a home service advisor with Alabama Power Company. She lived in Montevallo. With the Power Company, she gave cooking, freezing, and kitchen planning demonstrations at schools in Centreville, West Blockton, Columbiana, and Alabaster. In 1958, she returned to Avondale to the Design Department where she worked until she married Raymond Eugene Williams in 1963 and had her three children. She started helping her husband at Williams Rexall Drugs in Sycamore. She worked there until the drug store was closed in 2002, after 61 years of service to the community.

Ruth lived a rich and varied life. She was a long-time Sunday School teacher in multiple Baptist churches throughout her lifetime. She enjoyed playing piano, painting in watercolor and acrylic, gardening, cooking, and she played bridge for years with many good friends in the Sylacauga community. She was a longtime member of the Progressive Study Club and served as its president at one point.

The family wishes to thank caring, patient individuals who have given of themselves to help our mother. Berniece Hughes and Jane Butterworth, in particular, have been with Ruth for years of service. Brenda Stamps, likewise, most recently, cared for Ruth the last months of her life. We are grateful for the caring and compassionate individuals at Amedisys who provided hospice services for a year and a half. We request that in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the National Multiple Sclerosis Society at mymsaa.org in honor of her daughter Anna Elizabeth, who succumbed to effects of the disease in 2020.