Mattie Lou Williams

With hearts full of gratitude for a life beautifully lived, the family of Mattie Lou Williams announces her peaceful passing on Sunday, May 3, 2026. She left this earth to be with her Lord and Savior, and was lovingly reunited with her beloved husband in eternity. Mattie was 86 years old.

Mattie Lou Williams was born on October 5, 1939, in Thornton, Mississippi, to Richard Dean and Luvella Armstrong-Gray. From her earliest days, she was shaped by the deep roots of family, faith, and resilience — values she would carry with her for the entirety of her life.

In 1959, Mattie made the courageous journey to Grand Rapids, Michigan, as part of the Great Migration — that sweeping movement of African Americans who sought the promise of better economic opportunity and freedom from the hostilities of the Jim Crow South. Grand Rapids became her home, and she embraced it fully, planting seeds of love and legacy that would grow for generations to come.

Mattie's heart was never more at ease than when her family was gathered under her roof. She was a woman who expressed love through action — through a warm kitchen, a welcoming table, and hands always ready to meet a need. Whether it was a home-cooked meal that filled the house with comfort or simply making sure everyone around her felt cared for, Mattie had a gift for making people feel cherished.

A proud and self-proclaimed homebody, Mattie found deep joy in her home and her yard. Well into her 85th year, she could be found cutting her grass, pulling weeds, and tending to her beloved hostas with the dedication of a woman half her age. She was quick to remind anyone who asked that yard work was her exercise — and she meant it with every ounce of her spirit.

Mattie's faith was the cornerstone of her life. For many years, she was a devoted member of Tabernacle Community Church, where she found her extended family in the congregation. The members of that church were not merely fellow worshippers — they were her people and her community.

Mattie was preceded in death by:

Her devoted husband of 52 years, Thomas C. Williams Sr.; her parents, Luvella Armstrong-Gray and Richard Dean; her sisters, Leonia Austin, Jeanette Dean, Emma Dean, Dorothy Dean, and Oralee Dean; and her brothers, L.C. Gray, Jerome Townsend, and Ricky Townsend.

Mattie's love lives on in the hearts of those she leaves to cherish her memory:

her children, Thomas C. Williams Jr. (Karla) and April D. Williams; grandchildren, Naomi Williams, Terrell Williams, David Williams, Julianna Williams, Xavier Williams, and Jay Williams; great-grandchildren, Hezekiah Williams, Miguel Rivera, and Ezra Williams; sisters, Betty P. Jones (Percy), Mary L. Gray, and Polly A. Dean; brothers, C.B. Davenport (Boak), Booker T. Gray, Willie Dean (Erma), and Richard Dean Jr; and daughters of her heart, Zena Patillo and Tracy Booth.

She is also survived by a treasure of cherished sisters- and brothers-in-law, cousins, nieces, nephews and dear friends — each one a thread in the beautiful tapestry of her life.

Mattie was a mother in every sense of the word — not only to those who bore her name, but to all who were fortunate enough to know her. She was steady, loving, and rooted. She was the kind of woman who made her house feel like home to all who entered it.

Her hostas will bloom again this spring. And in them, and in every life she touched, Mattie Lou lives on.

"She is clothed with strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future." — Proverbs 31:25