Peggy Tuck Williams

Peggy Tuck (Woodward) Williams, leaving a Legacy of Family, Love and Laughter.

Born on September 28, 1934, Peggy Tuck (Woodward) Williams, daughter of the late Cleo Tuck and Willie Mae 'Thompson' Escoe was 91 years of joy, intellect, encouragement, laughter and beauty--the Queen of our family. Our "Mimi" has gone to be with our Lord and Savior leaving a 'Legacy of Family'-a beloved husband, seven children, 14 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren; three sisters and a whole host of nieces and nephews.

Peggy is survived by her loving husband, James Williams. They have been married for 37 beautiful years following the passing of their spouses, Heyward L. Woodward, Sr. and Donna Williams. Their romance was such a blessing to us all because, we were all family friends before we were officially family. It has been a natural blend. And 'Mimi' considered us ALL her children. She bathed us with love, compassion and subtle instruction with every encounter. She lived by her favorite scripture, Matthew 7:12, "Do unto others, as you would have them to do unto you" and reminded us to "trust, pray, act" in times of trouble.

She is survived by her children who will always admire and adore her: Heyward 'Woody' Woodward and his wife Wendy; Amy Woodward Parrish and her husband Dr. Will Parrish; MAJ Jason Williams and his wife Karen; COL Mark Churchwell and his wife Gena; Jenny Williams Faulkner and her husband Pat; Jimmy Williams and his wife Georgia. Mother left us a note for her last words of wisdom as parents: "spending time with your grown-up kids is like visiting the best parts of your life." And with the commitment she showed to us by attending every performance, every sporting event, every honoring, every academic meet; every graduation and even every family party, we know she was sincere about these words to live by.

She was so proud of all of her grandchildren: Cameron Woodward and his wife Mary, Corey Woodward and his wife Jenny, TSgt Carter Woodward and his wife Taran; 2LT Clint Williams and SGT Daryl Williams and his wife Yennifer; Eli Parrish; Chance Churchwell, Dalton Churchwell, CPT Scout Churchwell and his wife Cayla, and Memphis Churchwell; Patricia Martin and her fiancée Eric Brown, Allison Martin, and Dylan Martin; Glenn Ashleigh Veal and her husband Austin. It always amazed her children that even till her last days, she never forgot a birthday. In fact, there was a card awaiting the post office for her oldest Great Grandchild, Garner, the day she fell ill.

Mimi's great grandchildren were her absolute treasures: Garner and Greer Woodward; Hazel Woodward; Charlotte Woodward; Atticus and Houston Churchwell; and Tucker Brown.

Peggy is also survived by her beloved sisters who were her daily encouragers-Sandra Tuck Poss and her husband Bobby; Loree Bonner; and Theresa Wade. Aunt Loree says she was always fashionable and put together and they all looked up to their big sister. That sense of fashion remained until her final days.

And if we started listing the other family members like cousins and friends-like-family, this tribute would be 10+ pages.

A little history on Peggy: she graduated from Athens High School in 1950 at sixteen years old. She was so smart, she was able to skip a grade. She met her husband, Heyward L. Woodward while working as the secretary for the UGA School of Pharmacy (Go Dawgs!) They married on July 31, 1955. They moved to Atlanta and Peggy was very active in the Pharmaceutical Auxiliary. They started their family with the birth of Woody in 1957 and moved to Avondale Estates. (Woody is the oldest child of our large crew.) Peggy became a kindergarten teacher at Avondale Baptist Church and soon thereafter, Mom was honored to be President of the PTA. She joined Bridge Club where she made lifelong friendships. Daughter Amy was born in 1967 and she made some more wonderful friends by joining the Civic League. A few years later, the family moved to Conyers, Georgia and she transitioned from teaching to managing Woodward's Buy Wise Pharmacy. She joined Bridge Clubs in Conyers and many of those women remain her friends today. After the loss of her husband Heyward, Mom married James T. Williams on December 25, 1988, under the Christmas tree in our living room. Through this marriage, mother was so honored to be able to help raise her now young son Jason Williams who was born in 1977. Yes she raised three children, each ten years apart. And she embraced her new adult children, Mark Churchwell, Jenny Williams, Jimmy 'Bruv' Williams, and Carla Williams (deceased.)

She loved her Lord and Savior and cherished her favorite bible verse Proverbs 3:5-6. "Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths."

Peggy Williams loved to travel; she was a great dancer (was the top student in disco class in the 70s); she loved all genres of music-especially the music created and performed by our family members; she was an intimidating bridge and game player; and loved to read romance novels. Mimi was known for her love of cardinals and red roses. But most of all, she LOVED to laugh with her friends and family reminding us, "Laughter is the greatest medicine." And left us a note saying "it's the friends you meet on your path that make your journey worthwhile." She still had active friendships that dated back more than 60 years and could still tell all their stories.

Although we will miss her so very much, she was always ready for the next phase and cherished every moment of her days. She reminded us that the "only things we can take with us when we leave this world are the things we've packed in our hearts." Well Mimi, we have packed you in our hearts and your wisdom will always be the voice in our heads. We cannot wait to be hugged by you again.

Peggy, 'Baby', Mother, Mom, Mimi, we are all screaming "Love ya, love ya, bye, bye, bye" in your honor, just as you always did for us when we drove away.

We will always love you, Your Legacy, Your Family

The Celebration of Life will be held at First Baptist Church Bremen on March 21 at 2p. Hightower Family Funeral Homes will preside over the services. The family welcomes flowers. But Peggy was passionate about food insecurity and concerned for Senior health causes. Please donate food in her honor to your local food bank or your community food mission. If you want to support her most recent charitable contributions: please donate to Bremen Care Link https://venmo.com/u/bremencarelink; Caring for Others https://www.caring4others.org/ or Rapha Clinic of West Georgia https://www.raphaclinic.org/