Obituary : Mae C. Williams
Ms. Mae Crawford Williams, daughter of Frank and Mamie Sadler Crawford of McConnells, S.C., died quietly in her sleep on April 5, at the Royal Nursing Center in Falmouth.
Born on October 2, 1924, in York, S.C., Mrs. Williams was the widow of 1st Lt. Benjamin F. Williams, the York area's only African-American officer during World War II.
During her lifetime Ms. Williams pursued a passion for choral and liturgical music and served as choir director and pianist at several local churches. She was also a local merchant, following a tradition established by her mother, Ms. Mamie Sadler Crawford, and her maternal grandfather, William Sadler.
Among her favorite pastimes were working crossword puzzles from The New York Times and the Chicago Tribune. She also was an avid reader of biographies and also enjoyed works by the 19th century American writer Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the 19th century French writer, Guy de Maupassant.
Mrs. Williams is survived by her daughter, Bennie Williams Hickey and son-in-law, John Tait Hickey, of Martha's Vineyard; three grandchildren, John Edward Hickey, Shaun Ragnhild Hickey, and Antonia Marie Hickey; her niece Mamie (Bunny) Wells and nephew in-law Dennis Wells of McConnells, S.C., and a host of other nieces and nephews.
A private memorial service is planned in May 2009, in McConnells. Funeral arrangements were made by Chapman, Cole and Gleason, located in Oak Bluffs.
