Obituary of Carol J. Williams

Carol Jean Weber Williams, Iowa City native, was born into life on February 9, 1931 to Carl Pryce and Ruth Nelson Weber and born into eternal life on March 3, 2020. Carol’s life will be celebrated at The River Community Church, 3001 Muscatine Avenue in Iowa City, on Monday, March 9, 2020 at 11am, with a reception to follow and burial at the Oakland Cemetery in Iowa City. Her family will greet friends from 2 to 6 pm Sunday at the church. To share a thought, memory or condolence with her family please visit the funeral home website @ www.gayandciha.com. Carol attended University Elementary School and graduated from University High School in 1949. She graduated from the University of Iowa with a BA in Social Work in 1987. Carol and Claude Williams (of Coralville), were married May 4, 1951. Carol had many varied interests – being an avid reader of history, politics and mysteries, table games, an avid Iowa Hawkeye especially supporting the men’s basketball and football teams, tennis player (one-time girls champion), pianist, gardener of veggies and flowers, compiling photo albums of family, friends and trips and of course her love of her dogs! She and Claude loved to travel - around the US and abroad. They traveled to Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Greece, Italy, Mexico and Canada. They served with SEND International Missions, a non-denominational missions organization building Bible colleges and churches in Far East Russia and Ukraine. Many US trips began with a tent, then graduated to a fold-out camper and later moving up to a motor home. Colorado – a favorite place – the mountains and white-water rafting. Carol was an at-home Mom till the children were in junior high, then began working part – time at The River Church over a period of 50 years. She worked for Dr. Lorraine H. Frost. She also worked at West High School when West and North West Junior High were combined. She was a volunteer at the Iowa City Crisis Intervention Center and Suicide line for 15 years. She remembered when The Food Bank began with just one can of green beans, when it was downtown above Lorenz’ Shoe Store! Carol was a Standardized Patient for the University of Iowa College of Medicine since the program began in the 1970’s. She worked as a simulated patient to help train freshmen and sophomore medical students in interviewing patients. Claude and Carol worked with the Annual Thanksgiving Dinner for the community at The River Church. They provided music and Christmas carols at The Annual Homeless Children’s Trust Party every Christmas at The Moose Lodge. They provided a program for the residents of Walden Place each month. Carol was on the original Board of the Iowa City Christian Women’s Club, which began in 1967 serving in many capacities. Above all, Carol was able to talk and listen so easily with family, friends and strangers. Many conversations began in grocery stores! Carol purchased VW Bugs and Hillman Minx Cars – much to Claude’s consternation, as he labored to keep them running! Carol and Claude often commented how thankful they were to have lived through these many challenging decades – favorite words being “mayhem” and “chaos!” Carol was preceded in death by her parents, 3 baby brothers who died at their birth or shortly after, Grant, Dale and Nelson; son, Steven Pryce Williams; son-in-law, Gene Allen; and grandson, Joel James Allen. Carol is survived by her husband, Claude; daughter, Christi Allen of Iowa City; daughter-in-law Linda Williams of Iowa City; granddaughter, Jeni Allen Beas of North Carolina; grandson, Jesse (Laurie) Allen of Iowa City; and granddaughter, Stephanie Prosper of Williamsburg; great-grandchildren, Kiki Prosper, Mystique Prosper, Zoe Beas, Cruz Beas, Gabriel Beas, Evan Allen, Olivia Allen, Aiden Allen.