Danielle Maurie Williams

Danielle Maurie (Leyba) Williams was born on August 18, 1974, in Denver, Colorado to Fred and Vicki Leyba.

She passed away from complications of pancreatic cancer on January 21, 2026, at the age of 51 years old.

Danielle grew up in Denver, Colorado with her brother Rick. She moved to Texas in 1989 and graduated from Newman Smith High School in Carrollton. Danielle worked in Human Resources for more than 25 years, specializing in administration of employee benefits and leaves of absence. She had been with Cantex Continuing Care Network for several years at the time of her passing. She previously worked for First American Core Logic and GameStop, among others.

Danielle was enthusiastic about helping others and cared deeply for her family and friends. She was always willing to answer questions about benefits or to sit down and review new policies when a friend changed employers. Danielle's greatest passion was cooking. Nothing brought her as much joy as cooking a celebration meal for a loved one or handing out some of her homemade artisanal sausage. She enjoyed experimenting with new recipes and, excepting special requests, stuck to a policy of never making the same recipe the same way twice. She frequently love-bombed her family and friends with homemade soup. She gave generously to the ASPCA, North Texas Food Bank and Planned Parenthood.

She is survived by her husband of 23 years, Peter Williams; mother, Vicki Leyba and husband, George Hood of Irving, Texas; brother, Rick Leyba and wife, Kat Leyba of Denver, Colorado; stepmother Judy Leyba of Springdale, Arkansas; extended family members and a host of friends.

She was preceded in death by her stepdaughter Elizabeth Kay Williams and father Fred Leyba.

A viewing is scheduled from 7:00pm to 9:00pm, Friday, February 6, 2026, at ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252. A celebration of life will be held at 2:00pm, Saturday, February 7, 2026, at St. Andrew Methodist Church located at 5801 W Plano Pkwy, Plano, TX 75093.

"How lucky I am to have something that makes saying goodbye so hard." - A.A. Milne