Dorothy Strange Williamson, beloved wife, mother, aunt and friend, died peacefully in her sleep on December 16, 2020 at the age of 95.
Her long and loving life was spent in service to her family and her community. She was born in Braithwaite, Louisiana in 1925 and was proud of her French-Acadian heritage. While living in New Orleans, she met her future husband, Christy M. Williamson of Oak Park, Georgia at a wartime dance for servicemen held on the historic USS President steamboat. They married in 1947 and moved to Jacksonville to raise their three children. They were happily married until his death in 2003.
She will be remembered for her cheerful and positive spirit, her humor, and her constant readiness to help others, as well as her skills as an organizer, cook, and seamstress. She put her talents to good use in many community projects over her later years, including serving four times as president of the Southside Women’s Club. “Miss Dot” created the club’s Holiday Stockings for Seniors Project and supervised it for over 34 years. She logged many volunteer hours to benefit the Shriners Children Hospital with her husband, a member of the Morocco Shrine Temple, and she was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the Nile. Even in retirement, she continued to provide thousands of handmade donations to Hope Haven Children’s Hospital, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Operation Smile, and the Shriners Hospital for Children, among others.
She is survived by her son, Cary M. Williamson of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and her daughters, Judith Leroux (Denny) and Jill Mankin (Hal), both of Atlantic Beach, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org. There will be a private family service. The guestbook is available online at https://www.corey-kerlin.com/obituaries/.
_____________________________________________________________________
My Article Sun
12/26/2007
Her 30th year sewing Christmas stockings
Arlington's Dorothy Williamson gets help filling them from the Southside Women's Club
By Christina Swanson
Dorothy Williamson, Virginia Kauffman, and Helen Frankenberg, the Southside Women's Club President, help stuff 200 stockings sewed by Williamson for Meals on Wheels recipients.
All of Santa's elves don't live at the North Pole.
A few live right here in Jacksonville, working year-round to make Christmas bright for needy folks.
One of those elves is 84-year-old Arlington resident Dorothy Williamson. This Christmas marks the 30th year she has sewn and decorated felt stockings for Meals on Wheels shut-ins.
Williamson gets help filling her hand-made stockings from the other 90 members of the Southside Women's Club. More than 200 stockings are filled with goodies and necessities, such as socks, tea bags, lotions, candy and toothpaste. It's a treat the Meals on Wheels recipients have looked forward to every Christmas since 1977. And Williamson has enjoyed doing it over the years.
"It's been a joy knowing that I helped provide a little cheer each Christmas," said Williamson. "We have received many grateful letters from thrilled recipients stating they've never gotten a Christmas stocking before."
Williamson said arthritis and a bad hip make it increasingly difficult for her to get around and sew the stockings. But a run of 6,000 stockings is a pretty good elf record. (For the past two years, she's had help buying the felt and cutting out the stockings from members, Mary Ierna and Sonja Brislin.)
This project is only one of many that Williamson's sewing talent has helped the Southside Women's Club maintain. She has made hundreds of baby blankets, drawstring diapers, hospital gowns and cloth dolls for various causes, including Operation Smile, Hope Have,n and the Wolfson Children's Hospital.
The Southside Women's Club supports a multitude of local and national causes including Vision is Priceless, Hubbard House, Jacksonville Humane Society, Heifer Project, the Donna Hicken Foundation, Rock Foundation, American Cancer Society, and Hacienda Girls Ranch. It also awards college scholarships for local high school students and sponsors a student to attend the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Camp each year.
Williamson has played a key role in all of these endeavors, from contributing her highly-praised baked goods to her decorating abilities.
"I call her Superwoman," said Helen Frankenberg, the current club president. "Her talents are a rarity, and her desire to help make her an outstanding member and person."
Her long and loving life was spent in service to her family and her community. She was born in Braithwaite, Louisiana in 1925 and was proud of her French-Acadian heritage. While living in New Orleans, she met her future husband, Christy M. Williamson of Oak Park, Georgia at a wartime dance for servicemen held on the historic USS President steamboat. They married in 1947 and moved to Jacksonville to raise their three children. They were happily married until his death in 2003.
She will be remembered for her cheerful and positive spirit, her humor, and her constant readiness to help others, as well as her skills as an organizer, cook, and seamstress. She put her talents to good use in many community projects over her later years, including serving four times as president of the Southside Women’s Club. “Miss Dot” created the club’s Holiday Stockings for Seniors Project and supervised it for over 34 years. She logged many volunteer hours to benefit the Shriners Children Hospital with her husband, a member of the Morocco Shrine Temple, and she was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the Nile. Even in retirement, she continued to provide thousands of handmade donations to Hope Haven Children’s Hospital, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Operation Smile, and the Shriners Hospital for Children, among others.
She is survived by her son, Cary M. Williamson of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and her daughters, Judith Leroux (Denny) and Jill Mankin (Hal), both of Atlantic Beach, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org. There will be a private family service. The guestbook is available online at https://www.corey-kerlin.com/obituaries/.
_____________________________________________________________________
My Article Sun
12/26/2007
Her 30th year sewing Christmas stockings
Arlington's Dorothy Williamson gets help filling them from the Southside Women's Club
By Christina Swanson
Dorothy Williamson, Virginia Kauffman, and Helen Frankenberg, the Southside Women's Club President, help stuff 200 stockings sewed by Williamson for Meals on Wheels recipients.
All of Santa's elves don't live at the North Pole.
A few live right here in Jacksonville, working year-round to make Christmas bright for needy folks.
One of those elves is 84-year-old Arlington resident Dorothy Williamson. This Christmas marks the 30th year she has sewn and decorated felt stockings for Meals on Wheels shut-ins.
Williamson gets help filling her hand-made stockings from the other 90 members of the Southside Women's Club. More than 200 stockings are filled with goodies and necessities, such as socks, tea bags, lotions, candy and toothpaste. It's a treat the Meals on Wheels recipients have looked forward to every Christmas since 1977. And Williamson has enjoyed doing it over the years.
"It's been a joy knowing that I helped provide a little cheer each Christmas," said Williamson. "We have received many grateful letters from thrilled recipients stating they've never gotten a Christmas stocking before."
Williamson said arthritis and a bad hip make it increasingly difficult for her to get around and sew the stockings. But a run of 6,000 stockings is a pretty good elf record. (For the past two years, she's had help buying the felt and cutting out the stockings from members, Mary Ierna and Sonja Brislin.)
This project is only one of many that Williamson's sewing talent has helped the Southside Women's Club maintain. She has made hundreds of baby blankets, drawstring diapers, hospital gowns and cloth dolls for various causes, including Operation Smile, Hope Have,n and the Wolfson Children's Hospital.
The Southside Women's Club supports a multitude of local and national causes including Vision is Priceless, Hubbard House, Jacksonville Humane Society, Heifer Project, the Donna Hicken Foundation, Rock Foundation, American Cancer Society, and Hacienda Girls Ranch. It also awards college scholarships for local high school students and sponsors a student to attend the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Camp each year.
Williamson has played a key role in all of these endeavors, from contributing her highly-praised baked goods to her decorating abilities.
"I call her Superwoman," said Helen Frankenberg, the current club president. "Her talents are a rarity, and her desire to help make her an outstanding member and person."
Dorothy Strange Williamson, beloved wife, mother, aunt and friend, died peacefully in her sleep on December 16, 2020 at the age of 95.
Her long and loving life was spent in service to her family and her community. She was born in Braithwaite, Louisiana in 1925 and was proud of her French-Acadian heritage. While living in New Orleans, she met her future husband, Christy M. Williamson of Oak Park, Georgia at a wartime dance for servicemen held on the historic USS President steamboat. They married in 1947 and moved to Jacksonville to raise their three children. They were happily married until his death in 2003.
She will be remembered for her cheerful and positive spirit, her humor, and her constant readiness to help others, as well as her skills as an organizer, cook, and seamstress. She put her talents to good use in many community projects over her later years, including serving four times as president of the Southside Women’s Club. “Miss Dot” created the club’s Holiday Stockings for Seniors Project and supervised it for over 34 years. She logged many volunteer hours to benefit the Shriners Children Hospital with her husband, a member of the Morocco Shrine Temple, and she was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the Nile. Even in retirement, she continued to provide thousands of handmade donations to Hope Haven Children’s Hospital, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Operation Smile, and the Shriners Hospital for Children, among others.
She is survived by her son, Cary M. Williamson of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and her daughters, Judith Leroux (Denny) and Jill Mankin (Hal), both of Atlantic Beach, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org. There will be a private family service. The guestbook is available online at https://www.corey-kerlin.com/obituaries/.
_____________________________________________________________________
My Article Sun
12/26/2007
Her 30th year sewing Christmas stockings
Arlington's Dorothy Williamson gets help filling them from the Southside Women's Club
By Christina Swanson
Dorothy Williamson, Virginia Kauffman, and Helen Frankenberg, the Southside Women's Club President, help stuff 200 stockings sewed by Williamson for Meals on Wheels recipients.
All of Santa's elves don't live at the North Pole.
A few live right here in Jacksonville, working year-round to make Christmas bright for needy folks.
One of those elves is 84-year-old Arlington resident Dorothy Williamson. This Christmas marks the 30th year she has sewn and decorated felt stockings for Meals on Wheels shut-ins.
Williamson gets help filling her hand-made stockings from the other 90 members of the Southside Women's Club. More than 200 stockings are filled with goodies and necessities, such as socks, tea bags, lotions, candy and toothpaste. It's a treat the Meals on Wheels recipients have looked forward to every Christmas since 1977. And Williamson has enjoyed doing it over the years.
"It's been a joy knowing that I helped provide a little cheer each Christmas," said Williamson. "We have received many grateful letters from thrilled recipients stating they've never gotten a Christmas stocking before."
Williamson said arthritis and a bad hip make it increasingly difficult for her to get around and sew the stockings. But a run of 6,000 stockings is a pretty good elf record. (For the past two years, she's had help buying the felt and cutting out the stockings from members, Mary Ierna and Sonja Brislin.)
This project is only one of many that Williamson's sewing talent has helped the Southside Women's Club maintain. She has made hundreds of baby blankets, drawstring diapers, hospital gowns and cloth dolls for various causes, including Operation Smile, Hope Have,n and the Wolfson Children's Hospital.
The Southside Women's Club supports a multitude of local and national causes including Vision is Priceless, Hubbard House, Jacksonville Humane Society, Heifer Project, the Donna Hicken Foundation, Rock Foundation, American Cancer Society, and Hacienda Girls Ranch. It also awards college scholarships for local high school students and sponsors a student to attend the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Camp each year.
Williamson has played a key role in all of these endeavors, from contributing her highly-praised baked goods to her decorating abilities.
"I call her Superwoman," said Helen Frankenberg, the current club president. "Her talents are a rarity, and her desire to help make her an outstanding member and person."
Her long and loving life was spent in service to her family and her community. She was born in Braithwaite, Louisiana in 1925 and was proud of her French-Acadian heritage. While living in New Orleans, she met her future husband, Christy M. Williamson of Oak Park, Georgia at a wartime dance for servicemen held on the historic USS President steamboat. They married in 1947 and moved to Jacksonville to raise their three children. They were happily married until his death in 2003.
She will be remembered for her cheerful and positive spirit, her humor, and her constant readiness to help others, as well as her skills as an organizer, cook, and seamstress. She put her talents to good use in many community projects over her later years, including serving four times as president of the Southside Women’s Club. “Miss Dot” created the club’s Holiday Stockings for Seniors Project and supervised it for over 34 years. She logged many volunteer hours to benefit the Shriners Children Hospital with her husband, a member of the Morocco Shrine Temple, and she was a lifelong member of the Daughters of the Nile. Even in retirement, she continued to provide thousands of handmade donations to Hope Haven Children’s Hospital, Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Operation Smile, and the Shriners Hospital for Children, among others.
She is survived by her son, Cary M. Williamson of Virginia Beach, Virginia, and her daughters, Judith Leroux (Denny) and Jill Mankin (Hal), both of Atlantic Beach, Florida.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to www.shrinershospitalforchildren.org. There will be a private family service. The guestbook is available online at https://www.corey-kerlin.com/obituaries/.
_____________________________________________________________________
My Article Sun
12/26/2007
Her 30th year sewing Christmas stockings
Arlington's Dorothy Williamson gets help filling them from the Southside Women's Club
By Christina Swanson
Dorothy Williamson, Virginia Kauffman, and Helen Frankenberg, the Southside Women's Club President, help stuff 200 stockings sewed by Williamson for Meals on Wheels recipients.
All of Santa's elves don't live at the North Pole.
A few live right here in Jacksonville, working year-round to make Christmas bright for needy folks.
One of those elves is 84-year-old Arlington resident Dorothy Williamson. This Christmas marks the 30th year she has sewn and decorated felt stockings for Meals on Wheels shut-ins.
Williamson gets help filling her hand-made stockings from the other 90 members of the Southside Women's Club. More than 200 stockings are filled with goodies and necessities, such as socks, tea bags, lotions, candy and toothpaste. It's a treat the Meals on Wheels recipients have looked forward to every Christmas since 1977. And Williamson has enjoyed doing it over the years.
"It's been a joy knowing that I helped provide a little cheer each Christmas," said Williamson. "We have received many grateful letters from thrilled recipients stating they've never gotten a Christmas stocking before."
Williamson said arthritis and a bad hip make it increasingly difficult for her to get around and sew the stockings. But a run of 6,000 stockings is a pretty good elf record. (For the past two years, she's had help buying the felt and cutting out the stockings from members, Mary Ierna and Sonja Brislin.)
This project is only one of many that Williamson's sewing talent has helped the Southside Women's Club maintain. She has made hundreds of baby blankets, drawstring diapers, hospital gowns and cloth dolls for various causes, including Operation Smile, Hope Have,n and the Wolfson Children's Hospital.
The Southside Women's Club supports a multitude of local and national causes including Vision is Priceless, Hubbard House, Jacksonville Humane Society, Heifer Project, the Donna Hicken Foundation, Rock Foundation, American Cancer Society, and Hacienda Girls Ranch. It also awards college scholarships for local high school students and sponsors a student to attend the Hugh O'Brian Leadership Camp each year.
Williamson has played a key role in all of these endeavors, from contributing her highly-praised baked goods to her decorating abilities.
"I call her Superwoman," said Helen Frankenberg, the current club president. "Her talents are a rarity, and her desire to help make her an outstanding member and person."
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
See more Williamson or Strange memorials in:
- Solomon Williamson Cemetery Williamson or Strange
- Oak Park Williamson or Strange
- Emanuel County Williamson or Strange
- Georgia Williamson or Strange
- USA Williamson or Strange
- Find a Grave Williamson or Strange
Advertisement
