Frances Wooten Proctor Williams

Frances Wooten Proctor Williams was love personified. Her home was an ode to family and comfort, always stocked with M&Ms that would be passed around the room, home-made brownies, and the supplies to make the world’s best PB&J.

On January 11, 2023, Frances Wooten Proctor Williams passed away surrounded by her family and loved ones in-person and in-spirit.

She is survived by her husband, Gene Williams; her sisters, Lillian Wooten Bradshaw, Jackie Wooten Thomason, Betty Wooten Dougherty (Bill Dougherty), her three children, Beth Nelson (Barry Nelson), Alan Proctor (Gina Proctor), and Paul Proctor (Julie Proctor); seven grandchildren, Stephanie Bender (Jacob Bender), Ricky Proctor (Michelle McCart), Annie Proctor (Rohil Chekuri), Emily Proctor (Fiancé Tyler Brennan), Philip Proctor, Kate Proctor, and Patrick Proctor; and her great-grandchild, Lottie Bender; as well as many beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, family and friends. She now joins her mother, Dorothy Hill Wooten, and father, Edward Yelverton Wooten, in heaven.

From the beginning, Frances knew how to laugh and make others laugh. Born on November 2, 1939, in the small town of Stantonsburg, NC, Frances was raised surrounded by family and friends. If she wasn’t at basketball or play practice, she was laughing with her sisters or chatting and drinking soda with her friends at the drugstore.

She had three children: Beth, Alan and Paul, all from her first marriage. As a strong, single mother for much of their childhood, she raised and supported them as a nurse, and later as a healthcare educator. She retired as the Dean of Health and Emergency Services for Forsyth Technical Community College, where she introduced new programs and worked closely with local hospital systems.

She fell in love and in 1996 married Eugene Williams, known as “Grandpa Gene” and “Grandpa” to her grandchildren. Together, they made a wonderful pair, like PB&J and milkshakes. Their marriage expanded the family, and brought in Gene’s surviving children at the time Jodie Ashley (Ronnie Ashley), Karie Leopard (Timothy Leopard), his now late son, Richard Williams (Janice Nelson), many grandchildren and later great grandchildren, including those of Gene’s son Mark Williams who sadly passed before their marriage.

Frances’s greatest joys in life were her children and grandchildren, who could do nothing truly wrong in her eyes. She showered her family with love and affection whenever she saw them, and she made sure that happened often. Whether it was a nearly thirty-year long weekly pizza night tradition, frequent visits to her sisters, or an annual beach trip, Frances knew how to bring a family together.

A celebration of France's life will be held on Tuesday, January 17, at 11:00 a.m. at College Park Baptist Church followed immediately by a visitation.

Memorial donations can be made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation or the Forsyth Tech Foundation.