Jun 12, 2008

Venita Williams passed away on June 11, 2008, in Ava. She was a devout Christian who gained much inner strength from her faith in the Lord. This strength served as an example to others throughout her life. Venita, daughter of the late Frank Phipps and Anne Belle Hamby Phipps, was born near Ava on Feb. 7, 1923. After graduating from Ava High School in 1941, she married Dale M. Williams on Jan. 24, 1942. They began their 60-year marriage in Douglas County and subsequently lived in Pueblo, Colo., Atchison, Kan., and Independence, Mo., before settling in the Kansas City area for the next 35 years. Their last 20 years together were spent in Springfield, Mo. After Dale’s passing, Venita returned to Ava where she lived for nearly five years. Venita’s main priority in her life was her family. Her role as a wife, mother and grandmother was most important to her. Even with this, she managed to have a wide variety of jobs. She began as an elementary school teacher, worked in appliance sales, held positions as factory representative for two different appliance companies, just to name a few. In addition she had other home-based businesses. Venita left behind many scrapbooks, photo albums, paintings and numerous pages of handwritten poems and notes. These all show how important God and family were to Venita, and how much she desired love, peace and kindness. Venita is survived by two sons and their wives, Frank and Mary Williams, of Ava, Mo., and Steve and Anne Williams, of Greenwood, Mo. She has nine grandchildren and 13 great-grandchildren. She has a twin sister, Theta Johns, of Farmington, N.M., and a brother and his wife, Bill and Martha Phipps, of Kansas City, Mo., plus her nieces, nephews and many close friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dale M. Williams; two siblings who died in infancy; and her sister, Lela Phipps Bunyard. Funeral services will be held at Clinkingbeard Funeral Home in Ava on June 14 at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held prior to the services, from 10 to 11 a.m. Burial will be at the Ava Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to a charity of donor’s choice.