Charline Rae Williams of Galatia
Charline Rae Williams, 89, of Galatia, passed away on Friday, March 16, 2018 in Carbondale Memorial Hospital.
She was born October 16, 1928 near Thompsonville, the daughter of the late Christopher C. and Belva L. (Tate) Mitchell.
Charline attended schools at Dale and Cornerville, and was a 1948 graduate of Galatia High School. After high school, she worked at New Era Dairy and Nick's Café in Harrisburg.
Charline married career military serviceman Thomas "Tommy" Williams on March 24, 1950 in Galatia. He preceded her in death Sept. 21, 2004.
Charline traveled the world as an Air Force wife raising her two children while still holding down jobs at various locations. She worked as a photo-developer, in Fairbanks, Alaska. She was the ceramics instructor at the base service club in Sidi Slimane, Morocco. She worked as a sales clerk at the Base Exchange in Lincoln, Neb.
Other homes on bases included locations in Riverside, Calif., the island Territory of Guam, Fort Worth, Texas, and Burns Flat, Okla. She was involved with Cub Scouts, Brownies, and was a league bowler. She was also an accomplished seamstress, making clothing for her family, upholstery for her homes, and beautiful quilts and blankets.
Following Tommy's retirement from the Air Force, Charline's most recent employment was at Harrisburg's Nation Wide Glove where she used her sewing skills to fabricate thumb pieces. During her long employment there, she helped as a local union steward.
While living in the Bankston Community, Charline returned to her childhood farming roots and helped Tommy pursue his farming hobby. She drove his crops and hogs to market and rendered fresh hog's head cheese. She and Tommy canned thousands of jars of love from their gardens. Their grape jellies and blackberry jams were prized gifts.
She cherished spending winters in Avon Park, Fla., where she helped clean and freeze fish that Tommy caught daily at Lake Arbuckle. These were shared with family and friends during summers in Galatia.
After Tommy died, she enjoyed her volunteer work at the Marion VA Medical Center. She attended Tate's Chapel every Memorial Day that she was able, and in recent years was a member of the Galatia United Methodist Church.
In 2010, Charline suffered a major stroke on her right side that forced her to give up winters in Florida with her beloved friends there. She was determined to live independently again and worked hard to make that a reality with strenuous physical therapy and the loving help of family and friends from the Galatia area.
She is survived by two children, Arthur Williams (Laura) Bloomington and Geneil Stearns (Sam) of McCormick; two granddaughters, Heather Estrada (Ruben) of Bloomington and Sada Stearns (David Gladish) of McCormick; and four siblings, Lovie Stunson of Harrisburg, Charles Mitchell of Galatia, Donna Smith of Omaha, and William 'Willie' Mitchell of Pompano Beach, Fla.
Her sisters Francis May Edwards and Belva Lee Mitchell and brothers Walter Leroy Mitchell and Guy Woolard Mitchell also preceded her in death.
Charline dearly loved her many cousins, nieces, and nephews. She especially enjoyed regular Sunday get-togethers with her siblings, Lovie, Charles, and Donna. And, she looked forward to every phone call from her younger brother Willie. She loved her dear friend from high school and sister-in-law, Margie Rogers. She remained very close to Betty Williams, her sister-in-law living in northern Illinois. She spoke regularly with old friends from Florida and Texas, and visited often with Lillian Moore.
Visitation will be at the Sloan Funeral Home in Galatia on Wednesday, March 21 from 9 to 11 a.m. Services will begin at 11 a.m. with burial at Webber Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Tate's Chapel United Methodist Church, Tate's Chapel Road, Galatia, IL 62935.
The family gives special thanks to caregivers Wanda, Brenda, Stacie, Cathy, and Gala.