Elizabeth Jane Burnette Williams

Mrs. Elizabeth Jane Burnette Williams, 98, died Sunday, July 14, 2013.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Alfred N. Williams; one brother, John Burnett; and one sister, Marilyn Caldwell.

She is survived by her son, Len Williams of Blytheville;

One brother, Joe Burnett of North Little Rock;

One nephew, Judge David Burnett of Osceola;

Two nieces, Carol Gozell of Blytheville and Dr. Jane Clement of Germantown, Tenn;

One great-nephew, Major Jonathan Burnett of Ft. Irvine, Calif.;

Four great-nieces, Cindy Henderson of Charleston, S.C., Courtney Ciaramitaro of Memphis, Julie Clement Cochran of Memphis, and Amanda Marsh of Jonesboro.

Mrs. Williams, a Blytheville native, was a graduate of Blytheville High School.

She was a retired administrative assistant to the minister at First United Methodist Church in Blytheville. She retired after 27 years of service, but was a lifelong member of that church. She was a member of the United Methodist Women, having held many local and district offices. She was a Sunday school teacher for many years in the Junior High Department. She has served on most, if not all, of the various committees, work areas and boards of the local church. She was an honorary member of the Administrative Board and was the church historian.

Mrs. Williams was an active member of the Blytheville Women's Club, where she served as the reading chairman. She also served as the Women's Club scrapbook chairman, and her scrapbooks won first place in both the district and state scrapbook contests several times. She served on the board of the local chapter of the American Red Cross. She also served as the secretary of the Maple Grove Cemetery Association for may years.

Mrs. Williams loved to read and travel. Before and after her retirement, she traveled on many tours and trips, to New England, Canada, Hawaii, and Acapulco as well as to Europe. She made her last trip to Europe in 1997 when she was 82 years old. She went on many community college tours and trips. Her last trips were family vacations to Disney World, Charleston, S.C., and Savannah, Ga.

As an avid reader, she liked to read biographies and historical novels as well as current novels. She was particularly fond of books about the British Royal Family, and U.S. presidents and their families.

Mrs. Williams was a lifelong baseball fan, especially of the St. Louis Cardinals. She attended her last Cardinal baseball game in September 2002. She also enjoyed history and art museums, and Broadway musicals at the Orpheum Theater in Memphis. She went to the Celtic Women concert in Little Rock in 2011 on her 96th birthday. She commented that "this is the best concert I've ever been to'.

Funeral services will be held at 2 p.m. Wednesday in the Cobb Funeral Home Chapel with Dr. Robin Moore officiating. The family will receive visitors at 1 p.m. Wednesday, Burial will be in Maple Grove Cemetery. Condolences may be made at cobbfuneralhome.com