Dorlyn Williams

As many of you may have heard my mother-in-law Dorlyn Williams passed away on April 3rd. We (me and the girls) had the gift of being with the family when it happened. We attended her memorial yesterday April 14th here in Harpers Ferry. Below is her obituary, for those of you who never met her, Dorlyn was an outstanding human being. We are very sad she is gone, but greatful to have been given the last 3 years with her.


Dorlyn Ewing Williams, 60, an optometrist with wide-ranging interests and countless friends, passed away Tuesday, April 3, at her home in Harpers Ferry, W. Va., after a three-and-a-half-year battle with cancer.
Ms. Williams practiced optometry for more than 21 years, retiring in 2003. She served in the Army for eight years at Walter Reed Army Medical Center in Washington, D.C., Fort Leonardwood, Mo., and Fort Myers in Arlington, Va. Moving to private practice, she worked in Prince William County, Va., and Winchester, Va.
Ms. Williams studied optometry at the University of California at Berkeley and became a doctor in optometry at the Pennsylvania College of Optometry near Philadelphia, Pa. Prior to that she received a bachelor of science degree from the University of California at Davis.
Her thirst for knowledge, however, extended beyond optometry. She completed a course in leadership and team-building skills in the Army’s Combined Arms and Services Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., and obtained a masters degree in management from Webster University in St. Louis, Mo. She completed six months of training with the Medical Service Corp., in San Antonio, Tex. She also took an intensive Spanish language training course in Guatemala.
Always on a quest for adventure and fun, Ms. Williams traveled extensively. She was born in Chanute, Kan., on April 13, 1946. But during the course of her life, she lived in 13 states as well as Germany and traveled to every state in the U.S., all of the provinces in Canada, and many countries overseas, including Malawi and South Africa.
In 1978 she completed a marathon race of more than 26 miles in Charlottesville, Va., and in 1991 she hiked the 2,160 mile Appalachian Trail with her husband, Bob.
During the mid-1990s, she and a friend decided to attend services at every church in Jefferson County, W. Va., where Harpers Ferry is located. They worshiped at all of the 105 churches in the county over a period of many months.
In 2006, she and Bob criss-crossed the country visiting family and friends. Their travels took them to Seattle, Texas, Minnesota, New Orleans, where she had her picture taken with Chef Paul Prudhomme, Maine, and Newfoundland, where the sun first rises along the east coast of North America.
Ms. Williams was an avid reader and loved word games and crossword puzzles. Possessing a keen intellect, she never tired of exploring ideas and complex issues. She enjoyed photography, became a master of rug braiding, and pursued many other interests.
Her greatest gift, however, was her ability to make friends with almost everyone she met, drawing them into her family and recruiting them for various adventures. She nurtured relationships, helping one friend fight an addition to alcohol, tutoring a colleague’s son and encouraging him to follow his musical interests, and opening up her home and hospitality to many family members and friends for extended periods of time.
Her favorite color was yellow, a symbol of her enormous warmth and compassion. She touched everyone she met and left a lasting impression, which will help them endure her loss.
Survivors include her husband of more than 40 years, Bob Williams of Harpers Ferry, daughter Jenny Williams and grandchildren Paco Cathcart, Whitman Clark, and Clementine Williams of New York City, son Bruce Williams and grandchildren Lucy and Violet Williams of Kirkland, Wash., two sisters, Joyce Burnett of Olympia, Wash., and Karen Coomber of Tacoma Wash.; and a brother, Glenn Ewing of Maple Valley, Wash.
A memorial service is to be held Saturday, April 14, at 2:00 pm at the Camp Hill Wesley United Methodist Church, with Pastor Alexis Coleman officiating. A reception will follow in the social hall of the church. Please wear something yellow.