Elizabeth Aldridge Williams

Elizabeth Aldridge Williams, grateful mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, devoted friend and wife who felt blessed to be all of the above in addition to being part of Chancellor Folt and Chancellor Guskiewicz’s teams at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Elizabeth returned to her heavenly home on November 28 after living out her Christian faith on this earth. She is survived by her husband, Randall, of 39 years, son Watt and his wife, Alyssa and their son, Cardiff, and daughter, Timmons. She was proceeded in death by son, Steele and her parents, William and Sue Aldridge.

Elizabeth was born and grew up in Raleigh and graduated from Broughton High School. She excelled academically and served as Head Cheerleader. She continued her support for Broughton later in life as Co President of the Caps Club and cheering for her children and their friends as they participated in football, soccer, gymnastics and cross country. She attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she was President of Chi Omega Sorority and graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in Mathematics. Upon graduation, she worked for First Union Bank in Charlotte and then returned to Chapel Hill to work while her husband completed medical school and a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology. A fond memory is her husband telling her that he had performed her pregnancy at work and hearing her excitement that she was indeed pregnant with their first child! Upon completing residency, Elizabeth and Randall moved back to Raleigh where they ultimately made their home in an area where Elizabeth had played as a child, just a short walk from her childhood home. She left the world of banking and devoted herself to taking care of her family. She did this with much enthusiasm and grace. Elizabeth was Co President of the Aldert Root Elementary School PTA and did exceptionally good work serving as a Guardian ad Litem helping many children that directly benefitted from her care.

Elizabeth felt blessed to be part of a wonderful faith community in Raleigh, whether teaching Sunday School at White Memorial Presbyterian Church or participating in Bible Study Fellowship and other Bible studies with friends over many years. Her faith was foundational to what made her so committed to her family, friends, colleagues and to serving others. She embodied the belief of “Cast all your cares on God, that anchor holds.”

The day was not complete without numerous forms of exercise including yoga, barre, spin cycling, walking and running. She did all of these with wonderful friends and family and the exercise and friendships brought her such joy. She loved just riding in a boat on a beautiful day on the waters of Carteret County and did so often on trips to Whale Creek. If that followed a morning walking with her friends, that would have been a very good day. She trained and finished two marathons in Florence, Italy and ran again in the 2500-year anniversary of the original marathon in Athens, Greece. She said the last one officially ended her marathon career, but she continued to love to travel and trips to France, Jerusalem, and the South Pacific are reminders of good days.

Elizabeth had many gifts and she used those in the latter part of her life to serve by working with the Admissions Office and the Morehead-Cain Foundation at UNC. She then transitioned to also becoming part of Chancellor Carol Folt’s team and then Chancellor Kevin Guskiewiez’s team. As Kevin has graciously said, she was the rock of our team and Carol has also graciously said “she was our heart and soul.” Our family will be eternally grateful to both Chancellors Folt and Guskiewicz and all at UNC who made her feel so loved and valued. She had such great respect and admiration for both chancellors and all those she worked with at UNC and the work they did day in and day out to help so many in North Carolina and beyond.

Elizabeth’s first priority was her family and to them she was always a bright light and the glue that served as a foundational bond. The joy she derived from becoming “Izzy”, Cardiff Willliam’s grandmother, is indescribable. The family pets, Mo the dog, Zeus, and Beaufort the cats spent much time by her side.

Elizabeth is survived by her cherished siblings William Sidney (Sid) Aldridge and David Steele Aldridge, and Sid’s children William Aldridge and Meg Aldridge and David’s children Radford Aldridge, John Aldridge and Creighton Aldridge. Other beloved family members Dana Aldridge, wife of David; Diane Aldridge, wife of Sid; Janie, wife of John, and Alexis, wife of Creighton.

Brother-in-law William Leaford (Lee) Williams III, (Amy), her niece Margaret Elizabeth (Betsy) McDonald; and her nephew William Leaford (Ford) Williams IV (Anne).

President Truman said in his very last speech to Congress “I have tried to give it everything in me” and so did Elizabeth. She has been described as both a light and a rock for others and she was indeed both. She had many virtues: faithful to God, loyal, hardworking, other centered, compassionate, courageous but most importantly she was kind which came from her faith. She was loved by so many people because she loved so many people. One of Her favorite verses in scripture was “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another” which she inscribed in the Bible she gave to Randall as a wedding present. She was, is, and always will be a blessing who always wanted the best for others, and we give thanks to God for her.

A memorial service will be held at White Memorial Presbyterian Church in Raleigh at 2 pm on Friday, December 1 which will also be live streamed. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that gifts be made to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to the Elizabeth A. Williams Memorial Carolina Covenant Scholarship fund. Gifts can be sent to the Office of University Development, Post Office Box 309, Chapel Hill, NC 27514 or made online at https://give.unc.edu/gift/eawm

Services provided by Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's St., Raleigh, NC.