Rosie Williams

KANKAKEE - Rosie Marie Williams, 59, of Kankakee, humbly traded life temporal for life eternal on March 26, 2022. She passed away at AMITA Health St. Mary's Hospital, Kankakee.



Visitation will be from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday, April 7, at Jones Funeral Home, Kankakee. The Nurses' Honor Guard will be in attendance. An additional time for viewing will be from 10 a.m. Friday, April 8, until the 11 a.m. funeral service at Morning Star Baptist Church, Kankakee. Pastor Montele A Crawford will officiate. Interment will be in Mound Grove Gardens of Memory, Kankakee.



Rosie Marie Williams was born March 13, 1963, in Crawford, Miss., the daughter of Charlie Jr. and Laura (Washington) Smith.



She attended school in Kankakee, where she graduated from Westview High School.



Rosie Williams RN, BSN, MSN, is a registered nurse in Kankakee, and has been practicing in this role for more than 26 years in the Kankakee and Chicagoland area. Rosie was employed by AMITA Health St. Mary's Kankakee, and served as a case manager in the emergency room. She also served as an adjunct instructor in the Kankakee Community College CNA Program. Rosie possessed wide-ranging experience in various nursing arenas, including Orthopedic/neurology, medical surgical, telemetry, pediatrics, radiology, case and utilization management, continuum of care, discharge planning, parish nursing and legal nurse consulting. In addition to maintain expertise in serving vulnerable populations such as: Developmentally disabled, substance abuse, adolescents and geriatric psych. Rosie has also demonstrated servant leadership ability through service in several governance roles (team leader, supervisor, manager, director of nursing and senior public service administrator) during her nursing career. She also gained extensive leadership and management training and acquired multiple certifications in building management skills, and management fundamentals from the University of Minnesota (2009 to 2010).



She earned a CNA certificate, along with an Associate Degree in Liberal Studies from Kankakee Community College in 1994. She obtained an Associate in Applied Science Degree (Registered Nursing) from Kankakee Community College in 1996. She graduated cum laude from Olivet Nazarene University in 2014 with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Degree, and attained a Master of Science in Nursing Degree (Education) in 2017 from Olivet Nazarene University. Rosie also completed and obtained certification in the Basic Nursing Assistant Training Program at Illinois Valley Community College, 2017.



Rosie worked diligently to ensure that Kankakee School District 111 health clinics and billing components were up and running in January 2020. She reconstructed the clinics to better serve the children within the district and community.



Other notable nursing achievements include traveling abroad to represent and participate in Riverside Healthcare's International Exchange Program with Glan Hafren National Health System, Trust of Wales, United Kingdom; spearheading and involvement in multiple humanitarian endeavors (blood drives, clothing drives; and community health screening events); and induction into the Sigma theta Tau International Honor Society. Rosie also maintained professional nursing licensure in two states, Illinois and Indiana.



Rosie was a longtime resident of the community and volunteered as an Associate Board Member at Riverside Community Credit Union.



In her spare time, Rosie enjoyed spending quality time with family, friends, shopping, traveling, teaching, learning and inspiring others.



She leaves to cherish her precious memory, her dear mother, Laura Mae Smith of Kankakee; her two loving daughters, Angel Teigher Smith, of Charlotte, N.C., and Anjya Tishaye Williams, of Kankakee; four grandchildren, Nehemiah, Nehjana, Neiman and Nazari Smith, all of Charlotte, N.C.; four sisters, Mary Walter, Doris Dabney, Oaklon Smith, all of Kankakee, and Claudine Smith, of Grand Rapids, Mich.; six brothers and two sister-in-law, Alton Smith, Charlie III and Belinda Smith, all of Kankakee, Eddie Smith, MacArthur and Sandra Smith, all of Grand Rapids, Mich., Legare Morgan, of Columbus, Miss., and Jimmie Martin, of Atlanta, Ga.; two aunts, Carrie Smith, of Kankakee, and Freddie Will-Black, of Detroit, Mich.; godson, Marc Odneal Jr., of Kankakee; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.



Preceding her in death were her father, Charlie Smith Jr.; maternal and paternal grandparents; three brothers, Sammy Smith, Oscar Smith and Robert Mosley; and two sisters, Sara Smith and Ellen Smith.



Please light a candle at jonesfuneralservices.com.