Palestine High School Alumni Association

10 / 26 / 1953  –  09 / 01 / 2004

Services for Brenda Laurel Freeman Williams, 50, of Houston, and formerly of Palestine, will be at 1:20 p.m. Sunday at Bailey & Foster Chapel with the Rev. Scott Dornbush officiating. Burial will be in Rose Hill Cemetery in Tyler under the direction of Bailey & Foster Funeral Home.

After a long and hard fought battle with cancer, Mrs. Williams passed away in Methodist Hospital in Houston on Wednesday, September 1, 2004. She wanted her journey through the illness to always glorify God.

She was born in Palestine on October 26, 1953 to Melba Freeman and the late Ruel Freeman Jr. of Palestine. She was a 1972 graduate of Palestine High School and received her B.S. degree in Elementary Education at Stephen F. Austin State University. She taught in the Jacksonville and Frankston schools.

She was preceded in death by her father, Ruel Freeman Jr.; grandparents, J.O. “Pete” and Mildred Gilmore, Ruel and Ethel Elrod Freeman, all of Palestine.

Brenda is survived by her husband of 31 years. James E. “Jim” Williams of Houston; daughter, Mandy Batla and husband Aaron of Houston; sons, Robert Williams of Minneapolis, Minnesota and Kent Williams of Georgetown, Texas. She is also survived by her mother, Melba Freeman of Palestine; sister, Linda Ratliff and husband Frank; niece Lauren Ratliff; nephews, Michael and John Ratliff of Houston.

Honorary pallbearers will be Aaron Batla, Frank Ratliff, Jerry Harper, Jim Magee, Gregg Magee, Eric Magee and Dr. John Harper.

Visitation will be from 6 to 8 p.m. Saturday at Bailey &Foster Funeral Home.

Family members will always treasure her love of life, her child-like love of holidays, her love of art and the many paintings she left behind.

Memorials can be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 823, Palestine, Texas 75802.

Source: Palestine Herald-Press 09-03-2004