Ione Etheridge Williams

WILLIAMS, IONE ETHERIDGE 75, - of Cape May Court House, died Saturday, August 23, 2008 in Savannah, Georgia from complications of Alzheimer's Disease. She was one of five children born to Dorothy Etheridge and Raymond Phillips of Oyster, VA, and came from a long line of seafaring families. Her father was a commercial watermen on the Chesapeake Bay and served in the United States Coast Guard before and during WWII. Born on September 13, 1932, she was the last child born on Hog Island, VA, which was settled by her ancestors before the American Revolution. Not long after her birth, that barrier island's town of Broadwater succumbed to the Atlantic Ocean. After graduation from Hampton High School, Ione moved to Philadelphia where she met her husband, Thomas Richard Williams, late of Stow, MA. She held a long-time position in the Medical Records department of Burdette Tomlin Memorial Hospital, Cape May Court House, and was Secretary to the Cape May County Medical Society for many years. Upon retirement, she began a second career as the Genealogy Librarian at the Cape May County Historical Museum and Genealogical Society, a job she adored for its connection to county history and its opportunities to assist people in researching and solving their family mysteries. Ione attended Seaville Quaker Meeting in Seaville. Outgoing and energetic, Ione was a vivacious lady of irreverent wit, well-read and well-versed in the art of living. She was known for her charm, but by her own account she was slightly eccentric, a trait she treasured because she believed it gave her a lot of leeway. Ione was an enthusiastic traveler, a connoisseur of all things antique, obsessed with her Siamese kittens, which she bred for many years. She loved cooking and eating and was a charming hostess and joyously unrestrained dinner guest. Though not known for her "singing" or her "musical ear", Ione loved music and instilled this appreciation in her four children. Her heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong and she was fiercely loyal to her friends. Ione is survived by her four children, Alison Etheridge DuPont of Kennett Square, PA; Roy Hoskins Williams of Glen Ridge, Gwyn Lucille Yarbrough of Savannah, GA and Abigail Letitia Williams of Savannah, Ga. She will be especially missed by her grandchildren, Isabella, Everett and Elisha DuPont; Ariel Williams; Beatrice Ione Yarbrough; Lucy and William Coughlin. Ione is survived by her sister Pauline Klimick of Newark, DE, brother Robert Lee Phillips of Wilmington, NC, brother-in-law John E. Williams of Lewes, DE, sister-in-law Marie Phillips and numerous nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, beloved sister Laura Frances Cortese and brother Roland William Phillips. A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, August 30, 2008, 2:00pm at Radzieta Funeral Home, 9 Hand Avenue, Cape May Court House. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Ione's name to the Alzheimer's Association, Delaware Valley Chapter, 399 Market Street, Suite 102, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Condolences at www.radzieta.com