Billye Catherine Williams

Billye Catherine “Cathy” Russell Williams was born on February 25, 1956, to Billy Gerald Russell and Nellie Arnold Russell in Holdenville, Oklahoma. She went to be her Lord and Savior on November 6, 2022, in Baytown, Texas at the age of 66.

Her family moved to Texas when she was seven years old, and she lived in the Houston area for most of her life. Her family owned and operated one of the most well-known seafood restaurants in the area, Catfish Bill’s, for many years.

She married David True, and they had one son, Billy Joseph True. She later married Patrick “Mike” Williams and they had one son, Michael Gilbert Williams. While living in Pearland, Texas, she owned and operated a successful flower shop, Pearland One Stop Flower and Gift Shop. She had a true gift for all things involving craft creativity. She once found a nearly bald African grey parrot in need of love and rehabilitation which quickly spawned a love for exotic birds. She hosted a bird rescue and sanctuary called “Feathered Friends” at her home in Rosharon, Texas for several years. She had an aviary full of African grey parrots, parakeets, cockatoos, and many more exotic species. She moved back to her roots to Holdenville in October of 2019 and was so happy to be living close to her extended family. In the short time she lived in Holdenville, she made many new friends, reconnected with old ones, and was always trying to think of something nice she could do for others. She hosted brunches and outdoor luncheons with her neighbors and family members. When she first moved back, she took bottles of Joy dish soap to all her family members to “spread a little Joy!” You never saw her without a smile on her face.

Regardless of where she lived, she loved decorating her house, and dressing up for EVERY holiday event. At Christmas, she loved dressing as an elf for family events alongside her oldest son, Billy, who would dress as Santa. She spent a lot of time with her aunt, Beth Leewright, whom she was very close to and would often visit with for hours. Cathy truly cherished the time they shared eating, laughing, and visiting. She also spent a lot of time with another special aunt, Pauline Russell Cofer, before her passing in 2019.

Every morning for decades, Cathy would share coffee with either her best friend, Donna Upshaw or her sister Debbie Taylor. Even after moving to Holdenville, she would still call one of them every morning from her porch swing with her coffee in hand. She considered Donna a second sister and loved her dearly. She loved to travel and still had plans to hook up her travel trailer to go on trips with her best friend Donna. Up until the day she passed, she was still planning a trip to Hawaii that she was going to share with her cousins and friends.

Cathy fought a long hard battle with cancer, but never gave up the fight. She was an active Ambassador for M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston and had given multiple speeches in the name of Cancer Awareness. She traveled to multiple towns in and around her hometown to “Paint the Town Pink” for cancer awareness and to raise funds. Holdenville, Rosharon, Alvin, and Pearland are just a few of her stops. She loved her family and friends, and she was so proud to become a grandmother in October of 2021 to Benjamin Hogan Williams. She was always showing off pictures of this newest family addition.

Cathy will be sorely missed by her family and friends, but there is no doubt where she lives today, as she was a true believer in her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Her faith was unwavering, despite many hard knocks in her life. She shared her testimonies daily with whomever she was with. She was a member of the Church of the Nazarene in Holdenville, Oklahoma.

She was preceded in death by her parents, and one nephew, PFC Kevin Allen Taylor. She is survived by her sons, Billy True of Austin, Texas; Michael Williams and his wife Jackie of Dallas, Texas; one grandson, Benjamin Hogan Williams; one sister, Debbie Taylor and her husband Don, as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and countless friends. She also leaves behind a small family of fur and feathers. Cutie Pie and Little Bit were her beloved dogs and Tim Macaw was her loud, beautiful, and loving bird.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Billye's memory may be made to a charity of your choice.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy for the Williams family may be shared at www.earthmanbaytown.com