Juanita Jean (Woods) Williams, 92, passed peacefully at her home in Colbert, Okla. on August 17, 2020. Nita, as she was known to her family and friends, was born on July 9, 1928, to James and Tennie Woods at their home in Pleasant Hill, Okla.
She was born the second child of the Woods family’s six children, and she began school in Pleasant Hill before transferring her studies to a school in Clarita, Okla., where she remained until her senior year of high school. During her senior year, her father took a job in the shipyards in San Francisco and when her family moved to that area, Nita transferred her studies to San Francisco to complete high school. Nita graduated from Lowell High School in 1945.
Living in San Francisco during World War II left a deep and lasting impression on Nita, which she never forgot. While attending high school, Nita worked at Stanford University Hospital in the Medical Records Department. She absolutely loved working at Stanford, especially because her job took her all over the hospital – filing, picking up and transferring records – and she was excited to see so many of the day-to-day operations of such a large medical facility. This experience led to a lifetime enjoyment in the medical field, which shaped her decisions regarding all her future employment.
At that time, Nita began to date a handsome young man serving in the Navy named T.O. Williams, whom she had known prior to her relocation to California since he also happened to be her brother Harvey’s best friend. They got along together like a house afire, and, after a while, when Nita and her family moved back to Oklahoma, T.O. Williams did, too.
Nita and T.O. were married on March 2, 1946, in Clarita, Okla., by her great uncle George O’Neal. After their wedding, they lived in a variety of locations including Stockton, Calif., Tucumcari, N.M., and Clarita, Okla., before eventually settling into their family home in Colbert, Okla., where they raised their three sons, lived for many years afterward, and were very active in their community.
After living in Colbert for a year, Nita again took a job working in the Medical Records Department, but this time she was employed at Madonna Hospital in Denison, Texas. Later, around the time the first Texoma Medical Center was being built, a new clinic was built next door called the Denison Medical and Surgical Clinic. Nita made the move to that practice group and greatly enjoyed working there for many years in a similar capacity until her retirement in 1988. When her husband later retired from Texas Instruments in Sherman, Texas, Nita and T.O. were free to travel, and they did so with great delight.
Throughout 58 years of marriage, T.O. and Nita’s home was filled with love, humor, and peals of laughter, since she and T.O. each possessed a healthy funny bone. Her retirement freed Nita to not only pursue her love of travel, but also to entertain and embark on wonderful adventures with her family. T.O. and Nita never met a stranger: strangers were just friends they hadn’t met yet. They were always willing to lend a hand to others; they were warm and welcoming; and believed in helping others in need. Innumerable lives were improved because Nita & T.O. were in them.
Nita always believed she was an incredibly lucky person, and she said that lucky people would always find treasure. It was no secret that, to Nita, her family was her treasure.
While her children were enrolled in the Colbert schools, Nita served as PTA President, and she also served as Worthy Matron in the Order of the Eastern Star for the Colbert Chapter of OES. Nita was a lifetime member of OES and had received her 50-year membership pin. She was also a lifetime member of the Church of Christ.
Nita is survived by her three children: her son Darrell Williams and his wife Claudette of Colbert, Okla.; her son Jimmy Williams and his wife Patricia of Sherman, Texas; and her son Russell Williams of Colbert, Okla. She is also survived by her brothers Jimmie Woods and Harold Woods, both of Clarita, Okla. She is survived by a considerable legacy of many grandchildren, multiple great-grandchildren, and many, many nieces and nephews.
Nita was preceded in death by her beloved husband Thomas Owen “T.O.” Williams, her parents James A. and Tennie Woods, her brother Harvey Woods, her brother Joe Woods, her brother Dale Woods, and her daughter-in-law Jean Williams.
A graveside service will be held at 10 a.m. on Thursday, August 20, 2020, at Wilson Cemetery in Clarita, Okla., with Minister Richard Gage officiating. Pallbearers will be Jimmie Woods, Dewayne Williams, Jeremy Williams, Christi Williams, Justin Williams, and Todd Woods. Honorary pallbearers will be Harold Woods and Larry Woods.
Services are under the direction of Cunningham Funeral Home in Colbert, Okla.
