Joyce Floyd Williams, 66, of Southport, passed away Monday, July 18, 2016, at Dosher Memorial Hospital, from complications related to pneumonia.
Mrs. Williams was a lifelong “Island Girl” who grew up on Isle of Palms, S.C., spent many years raising her daughters on Holden Beach, and lived a few blocks from the waterfront in Southport for the last 15 years of her life. This love of the beach life would never leave her.
She was the smart and sassy wife of the late Roger L. Williams, and a devoted mother to her twin daughters and Puddin’ the German Shepherd.
Educated at the University of South Carolina (B.A.) and Mercer University (M.Ed.), Mrs. Williams was a revered and feared English teacher at both South Brunswick and West Brunswick high schools. An avid reader, her love of literature, along with her experience in the public school system, gave her an uncanny perception of the world around her. With a wicked sense of humor and a love of humanity and its foibles, Mrs. Williams’s memorable personality left an indelible impression on those whose lives she touched. She will be mightily missed by thousands of dedicated former students in Brunswick County.
She was certified by the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, after which she served for several years on a State Assistance Team, traveling North Carolina with a cadre of elite educators to help improve student performance at struggling schools.
After her retirement from the Brunswick County Schools, Mrs. Williams continued to serve the community as a guardian ad litem for children with the Brunswick County Court System. Mrs. Williams was a well-known animal lover, with a particular fondness for German shepherds. To this end, she served as a volunteer with the German Shepherd Rescue and Adoption organization of North Carolina.
She is survived by her daughters, Keira Vivian and Lauren Elisabeth Williams, as well as countless friends, colleagues and students.
There will be a drop-in memorial reception for Mrs. Joyce Williamson from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, July 22, 2016, at Mr. P’s Bistro, 309 N. Howe Street, Southport, N.C.
Her daughters ask that in lieu of flowers, please donate to German Shepherd Rescue and Adoptions of NC in Joyce Williams’s name:https://gsdrescue.wufoo.com/forms/gsra-donations/.
