Obituary: Roberta Lucille Williams
Roberta Lucille Williams Smith departed this life for the next on 6 December 2015 at St. Vincent's East Hospital, peacefully, quietly, and in the presence of her loving family.
Roberta was born on 14 November 1931 in Ashland, KY, to Robert Cecil and Lucy Scott Williams. She has three living brothers: Charles, Roger, and Lynn Williams, and one living sister, Mary Hazard. She is preceded in death by her parents; by a brother, Robert Cecil Williams; by two sisters, Patricia Smentek and Gloria Broward; and by a grandson, Josiah Benjamin Smith.
Roberta is survived by her husband, Melvin W. Smith, PhD; they were married on 24 June 1952 in Angleton TX. She is the mother of four sons: John Edward Smith, MD, Robert Wayne Smith, MD, Joel Stuart Smith, MS-Econ, and Melvin Charles Smith, PhD. She is the grandmother of twenty-three grandchildren and fourteen great-grandchildren. She is survived also by numerous nieces and nephews.
Roberta graduated from High School in Fort Walton Beach, FL. She earned an Associate of Arts degree from Sacred Heart College, followed by a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music Education from Saint Bernard College, both in Cullman AL. She then earned a Master of Arts degree in Education at Samford University in Birmingham, AL. She taught elementary school music in West Point, AL, and then served for many years as a second grade teacher at East Elementary School in Cullman, AL.
Roberta was a member of First Baptist Church, Cullman, for over forty years. Her glorious soprano voice was a mainstay of the Chancel Choir for most of that time. She was a founding member of the Ladies' Ensemble and was in constant demand as a soloist for weddings, funerals and special programs. She remained active in sacred music after retiring from the Chancel Choir, contributing her time and talent to the Encore Choir well into her final year. She taught Sunday School in various capacities over the years.
Roberta was active in music outside the Church as well, being a long-time member of the Symphony Club and hosting numerous club functions and performances at her home. She was an ambassador for music wherever she went, constantly learning new things about music and passing this knowledge on to others. She also served the community as a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution and as a very active member of the Quilting Guild.
Roberta was above all devoted to her family. She supported her husband in all things, though hard times and good times alike. She accepted any challenge and always gave it her best. She raised four sons and tempered the toughness of farm life for them with tenderness and a love of the arts and music. She taught them by her example that no honest task was beneath their dignity and that no honorable aspiration was beyond their grasp. She embraced their wives as her own daughters and made them welcome in the family. She has done the same for her grandchildren as they have begun to marry. One of the great joys of her later years was to line up all of her descendants before her on Christmas morning, from the youngest to the oldest, and present each one with a gift from her own hands. The present was nice, but the true gift was her smile and the twinkle in her eye that spoke of the love in her heart.
Arrangements Visitation for family and friends will be held at Cullman Funeral Home on U.S. Highway 278 East from 5:00 until 8:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 8 December 2015. The funeral service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 9 December 2015 at First Baptist Church, 501 2nd Ave S, Cullman. Dr. Rick Lance and Dr Kevin Wilburn will officiate the service. A graveside ceremony will follow immediately at Oak Level Baptist Church Cemetery.
Roberta and her family request that in lieu of flowers, donations instead be made to her favorite charities: Heifer International; Child Fund; and World Hunger.
