Obituary of Ella Williams
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Ella Williams
Vancouver, Washington
March 23, 1928 ~ July 28, 2018
On March 23, 1928, Ella Rosamond Ball was born in Baltimore, Maryland. She had two sisters, Gloria and June, and a brother, Thomas. Ella graduated from Douglass High School and then attended Morgan State College, where she majored in Chemistry in 1952. After graduation she was employed as a chemist for several years.
Ella met Edgar Williams in Baltimore; however, they both moved out to California for jobs. Ella was in Berkeley, and Edgar was in Los Angeles -- but they kept in touch and finally married March 31st 1957, settling in Los Angeles.
Their first child, Michael, was born in December 1957, and Peggy was born in 1961. In 1964 the family moved to Palo Alto, California where they settled into a cozy suburban home on Guinda Street where Ella and Edgar lived for over thirty five years.
Ella dedicated the next several years of her life to taking care of her children and the home, while Edgar pursued a career in computer technology, ending up at Stanford University.
Ella was an excellent cook, seamstress, gardener, and decorator. Always on top of the latest news, she was a champion for civil rights and underprivileged youth, participating in several marches and rallies. Ella also volunteered at the Day School, and at Ravenswood High school in East Palo Alto, helping to tutor children to read.
One of her deeper passions was art, and the garage was converted into her studio, where she spent many, many hours drawing and painting on canvas. Later on she branched into sculpture, woodworking, and reupholstery.
Ella was also an avid reader and kept her mind sharp by completing
New York Times crossword puzzles in ink.
When Ella had her first grandchild, she spent a considerable amount of time helping out and babysitting several days a week so her daughter Peggy could go back to work.
In 2001 Ella and Edgar followed their daughter Peggy and her family, moving from Palo Alto to Portland, Oregon. The next few years was hard for Ella as she watched her husband steadily decline from Alzheimer's. Edgar passed away at the end of 2003.
However, Ella lived by her motto to "press on regardless" and continued living as fully as she could in a downtown apartment near Portland State University. She rented space in an art studio and continued to paint, even participating in a couple of art shows. She met new friends and found the Portland atmosphere inspiring.
In 2012 Ella moved to the Park Vista apartments near Washington Park in Portland. Very shortly thereafter she suffered from a minor heart attack. She recovered, but her health continued to decline after this point.
Ella cherished her space and solitude, and especially enjoyed the expansive view and patio in her Park Vista apartment.
In her final years, Ella's memory started to fade, and her children became concerned and intervened. In 2017 Ella moved to Glenwood Place Senior Living in Vancouver, WA where she lived comfortably and enjoyed celebrating her 90th birthday, never losing her wit nor her sense of humor. Ella died peacefully in her sleep a few minutes past midnight on July 28, 2018.
Ella leaves to cherish fond memories: her son, Michael Williams, her daughter, Peggy Boheman, her two grandchildren Wren (Janet) Freeman and James Freeman, and several nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
A Memorial Tree was planted for Ella
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Cascadia Cremation & Burial
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Ella Williams
1928 - 2018
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