Dr. Rebecca N. Williams

1966 - 2014

Dr. Rebecca N. Williams, 48, of Simsbury, CT, beloved wife of Cliff Williams passed away peacefully on October 19, 2014 after a brief illness. Born May 4, 1966 in DuBois, PA, daughter of the late Jack Nelson and Esther (Yale) Nelson, she graduated from DuBois Area High School in 1984 before pursuing a degree in science at Penn State University where she was also a Phi Beta Kappa. Rebecca attended medical school at Temple University where she was inducted into the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, and afterwards completed a residency in Anatomic and Clinical Pathology and served as a Senior Clinical Fellow in Surgical Pathology at Johns Hopkins Medical Institutions. After residency she accepted a position with Hartford Pathology Associates where she was a Senior Pathologist. Rebecca had a love for teaching, as her mother and grandmother were both teachers before her. She served as the Residency Program Director for many years and in recognition of her exemplary performance the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education selected Dr. Williams from among the 8,400 Program Directors in the United States as a finalist for the 2008 Parker J. Palmer Courage to Teach Award. Rebecca was known as a gifted pathologist and teacher who earned the admiration of her colleagues. In her spare time she enjoyed relaxing at home and spending time with her family and was an amazing and loving mother to her young children. Besides her husband, Rebecca is survived by her son Evan Williams and daughter Clara Williams, and her mother Esther Nelson of Simsbury, and her sister Dr. Regina Nelson (Michelle Skala) of Mauston, WI. A memorial service to celebrate Rebecca's life will be held in Heublein Auditorium in the Education and Resource Center of Hartford Hospital, on the corner of Hudson Street and Jefferson Street in Hartford on Saturday, November 8th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in Rebecca's name to the Helen & Harry Gray Cancer Center at Hartford Hospital, McLean Hospice in Simsbury or the American Cancer Society. Please visit Rebecca's "Book of Memories" at www.vincentfuneralhome.com for online condolences.