Dorothy J. "Dot" Williams

1945 - 2024

Dorothy "Dot" J. (Larkin) Williams, 79, of Memphis, Tennessee died peacefully Saturday, October 5, 2024, in Germantown, TN.

Dot was born on May 1,1945 to Vincent John Larkin and Dorothy May (Greenleaf) Larkin in Marblehead, Massachusetts. She was the third of six children. Dot's early years were spent living blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. She told stories of playing with her siblings on rocky beaches and taking fresh lobster home to her mother to cook that her mariner grandfather had caught. After Dot's father retired from the Army, her family moved from New England and eventually settled in Memphis, TN.

Dot graduated from Sacred Heart High School in Memphis. After graduation, she worked as an operator for the Southern Bell Telephone and Telegraph company. During this time, Dot met and fell in love with Jim Williams, who became her husband. Dot and Jim married after a six-month courtship and had three children, Keith, Pamela, and Kimberly. When Kimberly was little, Dot entered nursing school to fulfill her dream of becoming a nurse.

Dot's nursing career spanned forty years. For her first twenty years she worked at Saint Francis Hospital and practiced nursing in various departments including the out-patient and the obstetrics and gynecology departments. Then Dot transitioned to caring for the aging and elderly. She worked an additional twenty years as a nurse at Atria Senior Living and the Memphis Jewish Home.

Dot's desire to care for others didn't stop when she got off work. Her non-judgmental nature and giving spirit made her a friend, confidant, and mentor to many who had the privilege to know her. In 2018 Dot retired from nursing and spent her remaining time enjoying her children, grandchildren, siblings, friends, and dogs. In the final year of her life, she lived in Collierville, TN with her daughter Pam and son-in-law, Jack.

Dot is preceded in death by her husband of 32 years, James "Jim" Albert Williams, Jr. and her older brother, Vincent John "Jack" Larkin, Jr. She is survived by: her three children, James Keith Williams, Pamela Jeanne (Williams) Greenwood, and Kimberly Williams Dillard; her son-in-law Jack Vernon Greenwood; her four siblings, Marianne (Larkin) Malone, James Greenleaf Larkin, Michael Patrick Larkin, Kathleen (Larkin) Brown; her seven grandchildren, James Andrew Williams, Jordan Kyle Williams, John Gilbert Williams, Madison Michelle (Greenwood) Brown, John Walker Dillard, James Zachary Dillard, and Maysey Sims Dillard; two great-grandchildren, Jessie Vincent Williams and Rylan James Brown; and her beloved Maltipoo, Scout.

The family will receive friends and family for visitation beginning at 9 am with a Celebration of Life service following, at 10am on Friday October 9, 2024 at Memorial Park Funeral Home and Cemetery, 5668 Poplar Ave., Memphis, TN 38119.

The procession to the internment will be held at Memorial Park South Woods 5485 Hacks Cross Road, Memphis, TN 38125.