Francine Williams, 80
Graveside services for Francine Annette Williams, 80, Malvern, Arkansas, formerly of Caulfield, will be held at 10 a.m., Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024, at White Oak Cemetery in Caulfield. Visitation services will be held from 5 until 7 p.m., Friday, Oct. 18, at the Langston Street Chapel of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home in West Plains.
Mrs. Williams died on Oct. 9, surrounded by her loving family.
She was born on Feb. 17, 1944, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Francine graduated from Bakersfield High School in 1962 and later in life, she looked forward to their yearly class reunions.
On Aug. 31, 1963, she married Willis Eugene Williams, the man she loved her entire life.
She worked for many years as head cook at Bakersfield School, sharing many laughs and memories in the kitchen. She was a mother to many, and her loved ones say there was nothing like being loved by Francine.
She adored her children and grandchildren, teaching and demonstrating to them unwavering love, trust and faith in God. Mrs. Williams believed a relationship with Jesus begins and ends on knees in prayer.
For over 50 years, she and her best friend's sister Pat Ward and sister Margaret Smith, along with her sisters-in-law Mable Leonard and Martha Peters, spent many hours praying for others where countless prayers were and still are being answered.
She loved her family and always looked forward to her sisters’ day when she and her sisters would get together and have lunch at the Bakersfield Café. In her free time, Francine loved to play Scrabble and dominos and do puzzles with anyone who would join her.
Francine was a woman of great faith and was a member of the Temple of Jesus Name in Hot Springs, Arkansas, where she said it wasn't just a church but a family.
She is survived by her children: Angela Foster, Willis Williams Jr. (Shana), Joe Williams (Amy), Amy Berg (John) and Michael Brakefield; grandchildren: Rachelle Williams (Quentin), Liza Williams, Audrey Williams (Austin), Veronica Sage Estlinbaum (Ash), Makayla Pearsall (Michael), Austin Pearsall, Dreydan Williams (Payton), Keegan Williams (Rebecca), Austin Alexander (Taylor), Noah Alexander, Tyler Berg and Steven Berg; great-grandchildren: Mylah, Millie, Maggie, Lizzie, Isaiah, and Paris; one brother, Darrell McFarland (Patsy); three sisters: Kay Grayham, Karen Skiver (Larry) and Kathy Lally (Terry); and many nieces and nephews that she loved dearly.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Woodrow Wilson Smith and Dorothy Smith; her husband Willis Eugene Williams; her precious blue-eyed daughter, Deborah Brakefield; two sisters: Wadyna Littlewood and Carla Smith-Lally; several sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law; as well as some beloved nieces and nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to White Oak Cemetery and may be left at or mailed to Robertson-Drago Funeral Home, 211 West Main, West Plains, MO 65775. Online condolences may be left at www.robertsondrago.com.
Arrangements under the direction of Robertson-Drago Funeral Home.