Annie Williamson

KERRVILLE Annie was born on May 12, 1924, the oldest in her family of 4 siblings, in Nortonville KY. She was truly a quotcoal miners daughterquot, having moved with her family throughout the coal mining regions of the south, through Texas and the midwest, and back to Kentucky during the Great Depression. Her experiences during this time, as a young girl, instilled in her a fierce independence, and the values of hard work, education, and respect for all people.

The first in her family to graduate from high school, and with no money for college, she went to work as a secretary in the newly opened Oak Ridge National Laboratory in 1942 as the U.S. was entering WWII. There, in 1947 she married the love of her life Thomas L.R. Williamson, a young engineer who worked in the lab. She would later say, quotI hitched my wagon to his starquot. Tom and Annie continued their life adventure together until Tom passed away in 2003.

Education was the centerpiece of Annies values, and when her two children were grown, she enrolled in Michigan State University and graduated with a Bachelor in Education degree in 1976. Even though many times she would comment that she was older than most of the buildings on campus, she persevered and shortly afterwards, and with Toms full support, she enrolled in Bowling Green State University in Ohio and earned her Masters Degree in 1977. Lamar University in Orange, TX offered her a job in their Business Education department in 1979. Annie retired from Lamar University, as Department Chair, in 1990.

Once both Annie and Tom had retired, they spent their time together visiting old friends in the many places they had lived during their early years, buying and renovating several homes, working on their individual hobbies, and spending time with family. Annie loved being a mother and grandmother. She was proud of her two children, and she adored her three granddaughters her quotthree queensquot as she referred to them.

Annie always had a project sewing, building, gardening, designing she was always busy. She had a great admiration and respect for crafts persons of all skills carpenters, quilters, seamstresses, calligraphers, decorative painters and she tried her hand at each of them. In her later years, she found pleasure and spiritual peace in her garden the pride of her home in Kerrville. Her garden nourished her soul and gave her many hours of contented wonder at the world and her lifes journey. Many evenings she would look from her garden to the hills across the way and comment quotHow did I get so luckyquot

Annie is survived by her sister and brotherinlaw Olga and William Hoge her daughter, Shirley Kirk and son and daughterinlaw, Leigh and Cheryl Williamson and her three granddaughters, Abby and Maggie Kirk, and Claire Williamson.

A memorial celebration of her life will be held later in the spring for family and friends.

Those wishing to make a contribution in her honor may send them to the Lady Bird Johnson Texas Wildflower Center, University of Texas at Austin, 4801 La Crosse Ave, Austin TX 787, or go to: www.wildflower.org

Arrangements are under the direction and personal care of the professionals at Kerrville Funeral Home. 830 8955111

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