Mrs. Williams, Hands on Housing Client

Meet Mrs. Williams. She discovered iACT’s Hands on Housing program through one of her friends, who recommended she apply for help with the home the repairs she needed, as they had done. She was in need of (costly) plumbing, electrical and mechanical repairs, which were all unaffordable to her. Her broken windows needed to be replaced; her central air conditioning system was not cooling properly, her electrical outlets and lights were acting up, her ceiling drywall was in bad shape, and several plumbing fixtures did not work correctly. She decided it was worth a shot, and so she called Hands on Housing to request an application for services. One year later, a home inspector showed up at her door, sent over by Hands on Housing. She was there to assess Mrs. Williams’ home, and take the measurements and photos necessary to get Mrs. Williams the help she needed.

Mrs. Williams is a proud mother of her two grown girls, and cherishes her grandkids. She has the pleasure of caring for them during the day, when her daughters are working. She grew up in Texas, when segregation was normal and acceptable; those memories are still vivid for Mrs. Williams, though well into her eighties now. As a young girl, she first experienced segregation while attending Blackshear Elementary School, right here in downtown Austin. Mrs. Williams grew up on a farm in Hearne, Texas. Together, she, her parents, and her five siblings proudly produced their own food: farm fresh chicken eggs, garden-grown fruits and vegetables, and cows, of course, for butter, milk, cheese and meat.

Mrs. Williams’ education ended up lasting twenty-seven years, and landing her a master’s degree in education. It was at Texas A&M University that she discovered she wanted to be an educator, herself. Once she had completed both her degree programs, she fell in love with (future) Mr. Williams. He was handsome and accomplished. Mr. Williams served in the US military as a lieutenant, and also completed a degree program at the University of Texas in urban planning, which led to plentiful and respectable job opportunities.

Mr. and Mrs. Williams started their family in a home in Austin’s Dalewood neighborhood, but soon out-grew it, with the birth of their two beautiful girls. Fortunately, since she and her husband both had successful careers, they were able to save up enough to purchase a larger home of their own. That home just happens to be where Mrs. Williams lives to this day, fifty-one years later. Tragically, Mr. Williams passed away at a young age, at the Old Brackenridge Hospital, shortly after they settled into their new home. He left Mrs. Williams with their two teenage daughters, and as any single mother knows, that was not easy for her. It was church and volunteerism, Mrs. Wiliams explains, that got through that difficult time; dedicating her life to God, and being of service to those in greater need than herself, provided the distraction she badly needed from her sadness, and re-purposed her life.

Mrs. Williams was struck again with tremendous hardship later in life, with the detection of her stage four breast cancer. Amazingly, her chemotherapy treatment worked, and another proud cancer survivor was born. Grinning ear to ear, she recalls getting to go to Hawaii in 2007 for a week, with other survivors. The purpose of the trip was to support breast cancer awareness and education, and to promote early detection efforts. Even though she could not eat solid foods during the trip, and was subsisting on a diet of broth and soft foods only, she still had a blast. Since then, she has been involved with many different organizations, some specific to breast cancer, some not. The common thread between each was teaching people to enjoy life to the fullest, and make the most out of each and every single day. Post cancer, she attended many, many conferences and marathons, dedicated to breast cancer awareness and fundraising.

Now-a-days, when Mrs. Williams isn’t attending cancer related events, or babysitting her grandbabies, you can find her reading, crafting, gardening and of course home-keeping. She LOVES her home. She also likes to cook for her (more) senior neighbors, and give back to the community however she can. The most important people in her life, she says, were her parents, her daughters, and her grandchildren. There is nothing more important to Mrs. Williams than family. She is proud to be able to help others, and introduce them to Christ. Her most notable accomplishment, though, is teaching students for thirty-seven years, and observing them become successful adults. Like any other mother, the happiest moments of her life were when she birthed her daughters. Although it has been a long time since she said goodbye to her parents, she holds their passing as the absolute saddest moments of her lifetime. She lost her husband quite young; however, she is well aware that the experience shaped her into the woman she is today. It challenged her, and grew her, and strengthened her in ways previously unimaginable. Mrs. Williams credits that particular hardship of losing her husband as a monumental turning point. When asked for some words of wisdom for the younger generations, Mrs. Williams advises to attend church every chance you get, and read the bible every chance you get. If that’s not your cup of tea, then just treat all people with kindness, she urges, and wish them well in your daily prayers.

One missed opportunity for Mrs. Williams is that she never learned how to swim, in her eighty-three years on this earth! She wishes she had; but, for a woman like Mrs. Williams, it is certainly not too late. She looks forward to waking up every day, praising God for his goodness, and being grateful for everything she overcame in her past. If she had to pick, her favorite chapter of her life, so far, was living and growing up on that farm in Hearne; Texas; what a gift, to have experienced total self-sufficiency, at such a young age. Though now a city-girl, Mrs. Williams recalls that farm life is indeed a terrific lifestyle and just so, so rewarding.