Last Updated on April 1, 2015 by cassnetwork
Edna May Williamson, 98, of Logansport, passed away March 28, 2015, in Grove City, OH.
Born October 12, 1916, near Monticello, IN, she was the eighth of ten children of the late Arthur and Drusilla (Strait) Kraay.
After graduating from Royal Center High School in 1935, Edna lived at the YMCA in Logansport and attended business college before traveling to Memphis, TN in 1937 to work as a typist and personal assistant for 2 years. On August 30, 1942, Edna married Robert S. Williamson and the couple moved to a farm north of Logansport where they raised five children.
Edna was an extremely active and involved member of her neighborhood, community and church, with a flair for hospitality. She never met a stranger and her door was always open to friends, family and neighborhood children. Edna would never be found sitting still. Whether delivering baked goods to shut-ins, taking clothes to the orphanage, or visiting the sick in the hospital or nursing home, Edna relished helping others.
She loved working outside in her gardens and, for years, maintained a strawberry patch that was over 300′ long! She even created a flower and vegetable garden at McKinney House, where she resided for 13 years!
Her boundless energy, optimism and enthusiasm allowed her to live on the farm well into her 70s ~ that and (she claimed) her daily vinegar and honey. Her unconventional sense of humor and lack of decorum endeared her to her children and grand-children, all of whom can relate “Edna” stories. These include the time she and her sister-in-law dressed up and terrorized neighbors, knocking on their doors masked as giant scarecrows one Halloween night when she was well over 50 years old!
She was a very active member of Bethlehem Presbyterian Church, where she sang in the choir and taught Sunday School. She thoroughly enjoyed her monthly Home Extension Club meetings and her involvement with her husband in the Indiana and International Flying Farmers organizations. In 1965, she served as Flying Farmer State Queen, representing Indiana at the International Convention. Many people knew Edna as the smiling greeter at the front desk of Logansport Memorial Hospital, where she happily served as a Grey Lady volunteer for over thirty years.
Surviving are three sons, John D. (Mary Ann) Williamson, Logansport, IN; Joseph R. (Maureen) Williamson, Carmel, IN; James R. (Mary Ellen) Williamson, London, OH; daughter, Mary L. Johnson, Ellensburg, WA; daughter-in-law, Christine Williamson, Logansport; brother, Howard Kraay, Tucson, AR; sixteen grandchildren, fourteen great grandchildren and one great, great grandchild.
Six brothers, John, Robert, Ernie, James, Chester and Harold Kraay; two sisters, Florence High and Dorothy Lowe; son, Samuel A Williamson, and her husband, Robert S Williamson, preceded her in death.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday April 4, 2015, at 11:00AM at the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church with Rev. Dave Smith and Joe Williamson officiating. Burial will follow at Spring Creek Cemetery north of Logansport, IN.
Visitation will be held one hour prior to the service at the church.
Memorials may be made to the Bethlehem Presbyterian Church.
You may sign the guestbook and send online condolences at www.gundrumcares.com