Dr. Linda Williams

Dr. Linda Susan Williams was born on January 7, 1953 in Savannah, Georgia. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Pearl Williams and sister to Rosemarie, all preceding her in death. She lived her early years in Savannah, Georgia with her parents and sister. Linda attended Spencer Elementary School and graduated from Washington Irving High School. She attended Asbury Methodist Church in her early years and later attended Piney Grove Baptist Church in Decatur, GA. A native of Stockbridge, Georgia, Dr. Williams moved from Savannah to Harlem, New York before relocating to Atlanta, Georgia later in life. Dr. Williams was incredibly quiet and loved reading. In fact, she spent most of her time enjoying reading her favorite books. She was also an extremely bright student, excelling in all of her classes during school. She even preferred reading overeating a good meal. She always got her way. She would blink her eyes and the tears would start. She always wanted her cousin Theta’s doll, Twinkle, to play with and if the answer was no, the tears would start again, and of course she would get the doll. Dr. Williams, a licensed professional counselor, provided behavior health and social services support to clients in need. She spent the last three decades of her life counseling and supporting others in a professional setting. She was instrumental in starting an online counseling program and was a member of JLMS Associates, a program for workplace training. Dr. Williams was a staunch believer in education. She received her bachelor’s degree in counseling from City University of New York, a master’s degree from Columbia University in counseling, and a Doctor of Education degree in counseling from Capella University. Her lifelong goal was to maintain her counseling credentials through continued completion of licensure requirements and continuing education classes. A consummate professional, Dr. Williams was employed with numerous entities. She worked as a counselor at Emory University and DeVry Institute where her responsibilities were to engage students. It was during this time that she met friend Michele Robinson. Upon leaving DeVry, she secured a position at Atlanta Technical Institute in student services where she served as a dual enrollment counselor and assessed students for the GED test. It was here that she met Dr. Moore and Janet Edwards. Fulton County Schools was the next stop where she would serve as a counselor at Open Campus, providing counseling around students remaining in school and transition into post-secondary education. Her final employer was Clayton County Jails where she was charged with providing mental health assessment and guidance to inmates for social services and the resources they needed to turn their lives around. She also served as a consultant for the U.S. Department of Education, evaluating grant applications for perspective participants. Dr. Williams was a very sincere, caring consummate professional and education was always the focus for her as well as the students whose lives she touched. Throughout her lifetime, she remained in touch with many of her students, offering them continued support as they pursued their career goals. Many will remember her sense of humor and her ability to encourage and motivate everyone she touched. It goes without saying that if Dr. Williams touched you, you came out a better person. She was an excellent communicator, both written and oral and was once referred to as “Oprah Winfrey” after a presentation to the faculty and staff at Atlanta Technical Institute. There were many student success stories that Dr. Williams could claim because of her ability to bring out the best of their talents, skills, and gifts by guiding them in the right direction. Her favorite food was Chinese, and she volunteered with voter registration during Stacey Abram’s run for governor. She leaves to cherish her precious memories nine very close cousins Carolyn V. Meacham of East Orange NJ, Theta J (Eddie) Frasier of Savannah, GA, Ardell Austin of Greensboro, NC, Ollie (Bobby) Simora of Grayson, GA, Arleen Davis of Augusta, GA, Reginald T. Williams of Oakland, CA, Oscar C. Williams of Savannah, GA, Curtis (Lillie) Johnson of Salisbury, MD, Dmitri L. Mitchell of Savannah, GA, one and only Goddaughter Kretika Hamilton, and two very close friends, Dr. Sandra Moore and Alvin Famber along with a host of cousins and friends. Ollie Simona and Linda’s Goddaughter Kretika Hamilton were far more than caregivers. Without them, who knows what would have happened. Ollie was a mother, sister, cousin, and the best caregiver anyone could have. God bless Ollie and Kretika for taking care of this wonderful human being that we all love and will deeply miss forever. Livestream Link Below: https://vimeo.com/539286970

Tributes

Dr. Linda Williams

January 7, 1953 - April 16, 2021