Virginia Beach – Elsie Gertrude Smith Williams, 96, passed away October 12, 2023.  Elsie was the oldest of 6 brothers and 5 sisters, all born to Ellen and Eugene Smith of Radford, Virginia.  Her family moved to Dublin, Virginia in 1942 where she would meet the love of her life, Harry John Williams, Jr.  They married on October 14th, 1942.  After Harry joined the Army, they moved to Norfolk, Virginia the place they would call home and raise their 4 children, Elaine, Jimmy, Juanita, and Johnny.

Elsie had a love for chihuahuas, owning several over the years.  She was a competitive bowler and had mad Pac-Man skills.  She could often be found doing various crafts to include beadwork which she would give away to friends and family.  Elsie's joy of making rolls along with her recipe has been passed on to her children, grandchildren and even great-grandchildren.

Left to cherish all the precious memories of her 96 years are her four children:  Elaine Wall (7 children, 24 grandkids, 5 great-grands), Jimmy Williams, Juanita Lutz (4 children, 24 grandkids, 8 great-grands), Johnny Williams (4 children, 9 grandkids, 3 great-grands), and four siblings Iris, Charles, Robert, and Donald.

Elsie was preceded in death, after 66 years of marriage by her husband Harry, infant daughter Dorothy, her sons-in-law Vergil Wall and Al Lutz, her daughter-in-law Irene Williams, her grandchildren, Ginny Ulmer and Tyler Cisneros, her siblings Dorothy, Betty, Nancy, Arlene, Isaac, Bill, and Harold and her parents.

Her funeral service will be held at Black Creek Baptist Church in Franklin, Virginia on Monday, October 16, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. with Pastor Richard Inman officiating.  Burial will follow in Black Creek Baptist Church Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, the family is asking for donations to be made to The Timothy Initiative, PO Box 98177, Raleigh, NC, 27624.

www.wrightfuneralhome.org