Florence Williams

Florence, (Mrs. H.D.), Williams, 98 of Mt. Pleasant, died Sunday, July 16, 2006, at the Park Place Long Term Care Center. Friends and family are invited to an Order of the Eastern Star service which will be held Thursday, July 20, 2006, at 11:00 a.m., at the Olson~Powell Memorial Chapel, 709 Mapleleaf Drive, Mt. Pleasant, directly followed by a funeral service with the Rev. Pat Youngquist of the First United Methodist Church of Mt. Pleasant, officiating. Burial will be in the Forest Home Cemetery. The family will greet friends and relatives one hour prior to the services on Thursday morning. Memorials have been established to the Mt. Pleasant Public Library, the Oakland Mills Nature Center, and the Southeast Iowa Antique Car Club at Old Threshers. Born 1908, Florence was the daughter of John and Zylpha Byers Hannah of rural Mt. Pleasant. She graduated from Mt. Pleasant High School and, in later life, graduated from Iowa Wesleyan College. She married H.D. Williams of rural Mt. Pleasant in 1929. After traveling with her husband in his business, the couple returned to farm in Henry County. Serving in public education for over 30 years as an elementary teacher, Florence taught largely in northern Henry County Consolidated Schools, and had long tenure as Administrative Assistant to the Henry County Superintendent of Schools. In retirement she worked part time with other teacher-peers at the Mt. Pleasant Public Library and as a volunteer at the Oakland Mills Nature Center. Countless volunteer hours were also logged from the inception of the Old Threshers Association, helping at her church's food tent and at the Southeast Iowa Antique Car Club of which her husband was charter president. Florence was a long time member of the First United Methodist Church, where she was active in the Women's Circle, as well as a 50 year member of the Bethlehem Chapter of the Order of Eastern Star, and a 25 year member of Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of educators. She was also active for many years in the Business and Professional Women's Association and the Mt. Pleasant Women's Club. Other activities included gardening, raising championship iris, plus needlecrafts and especially quilting. Mrs. Williams is survived locally by her daughter Donna Stender of Mt. Pleasant, IA; one grandson, Eric Stender, his wife Patricia, and their daughter, Colleen; and one granddaughter, Dina Stender, all of Minnesota. She is also survived by two sisters, Marcia and her husband Dale Cammack of Salem, IA, and Ruth Hoffman of Oklahoma, and a sister-in-law, Jean Hannah Monson Brombaugh of Mt. Pleasant, IA. She was preceded in death by her parents, two brothers, Benjamin Hannah and Wayne Hannah and his wife Esther Hannah Velott; one sister Virginia and her husband Fred Perrenoud; a son-in-law Darrell Stender and a brother-in-law Charles Hoffman.