Rebecca Abigail Longmire Williams
Rebecca Abigail Longmire Williams, of Clinton, Tennessee, much loved mother, wife, grandmother, great grandmother and friend passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Oct. 23, 2024, at Methodist Medical Center in Oak Ridge.
She lived life joyfully, filling it for 92 years with family, faith, friends and selfless service.
Becky was born October 15, 1932, in Knoxville, Tennessee, to Charles and Rose Longmire of Andersonville, Tennessee. One of 10 children and the last surviving sibling, she grew up on the family dairy farm in Andersonville. After Norris High School, she earned a degree in Library Sciences at East Tennessee State University, graduating magna cum laude. She was a sister of Kappa Delta sorority and was named to Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities.
After graduation Becky began a long and extraordinarily influential career as a librarian in Anderson County Schools, Clinton City Schools, and Clinton Public Library. She loved books, loved to read, and took great pleasure in sharing this love with children. At Clinton Public Library the children’s library is dedicated to “Miss Becky’s Children” in honor of her many years serving the young, molding her community’s future through the life skill of reading.Becky was not just a librarian but an educator in the truest sense. Children were drawn to her as someone they could turn to for help with any school challenge; and she was frequently seen at a library table helping those who came.
Responding to a special request by the school system, she jumped at the opportunity to establish and direct the first library at Clinton’s Green McAdoo School, while serving concurrently as Clinton Elementary School librarian.
In the early 1960s, pursuing a master’s degree in library sciences at the University of Tennessee, she became aware of a new federal program that would aid many disadvantaged children all over Anderson County - the Head Start program. This became her course of study and dissertation. Becky made the connections and did the work which brought Head Start to Anderson County; and it still goes strong today.
In 1955, Becky married the late Allan Lee Williams and they made Clinton, Tennessee, their forever home. She was active in both church and community - a dedicated member of Memorial United Methodist Church at Clinton for 69 years. At Memorial she served on many boards and committees. Because she treasured children, she taught Sunday School and was a Methodist Youth Fellowship leader.
Becky was a project director of the Clinton pilot for the Tennessee Historical Society’s Tennessee Homecoming ’86 which among other things produced the book “Clinton - An Identity Rediscovered.” She subsequently represented Clinton on the Tennessee 200 Bicentennial Celebration Committee. She was also a longtime member of Wednesday Club in Clinton.
Becky loved abundantly and was loved in return. She was preceded in death by her husband; parents; sisters Ruth, Elizabeth, Bobbie, Mary, and Nancy; brothers Mayo, Hubert, Hobart, and David; in-laws Lee Basel Williams and wife Katherine, and Sheriff Kenneth Caldwell and wife Dottie.
Left to cherish her memory are daughter, Melissa Ann Snead (Richard) of Clinton; son, Charles Allan Williams (Yvonne) of St. Simons Island, Georgia; grandchildren Richard S. Snead (Adrienne) of Columbus, Ohio, Laura Snead of Clinton, and Abigail Williams of Kennesaw, Georgia; and great-grandsons Richard W. and Campbell S. Snead of Columbus.
She also leaves behind sisters-in-law Mary Helen Longmire and Mary Ann Longmire of Andersonville; cousin Dr. Mark Caldwell (Suzanne) of Clinton; nephew Robert Longmire (Jill) of Andersonville; many other nieces, nephews, and cousins; and special friend Felicia Reynolds of Clinton.
The family wishes to extend a special thank you for the loving care Miss Becky received from the staff at Canterfield of Oak Ridge and also caregiver Vicky Donald.
Visitation will be held at 11 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 1, at Memorial United Methodist Church in Clinton, with a funeral to follow at 12:30 p.m. Burial will immediately follow at Grandview Memorial Garden in Clinton.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Holley Gamble Funeral Home in Clinton is handling the arrangements. holleygamble.com