Van Owens Williams, 90, of Carnesville, passed away Tuesday morning, .
Born October 23, 1930, in Carnesville, she was the daughter of the late Adger Howard and Ana Payne Owens. She was the widow of the late Lee Johnson Williams, and sister of the late Alberta Santmyres, Harold Owens, Troy Owens, Susie Sumner, and Bill Owens. She taught high school in Madison County for many years and was Teacher of the Year. She was a member of the Madison County Retired Educators, Delta Kappa Gamma Society International and was a member of the Eastern Starr She was a member of the Cross Roads Baptist Church.
She is survived by many nieces and nephews; and sisters-in-law, Jean Owens, Tootsie Andrews, and Mary Williams, all of Carnesville.
Services will be Saturday at 2pm at the Cross Roads Baptist Church with Rev. Tommy Cleveland. Interment will be in the church cemetery.
The body is at the Ginn Funeral Home and will be placed in the church at 1pm. Friends can pay their respects and sign her register book at the funeral home Friday from 9am until 430pm. Special thanks to caretakers Janet Williams and staff. Flowers are welcome but those wishing to make memorials please do so to the Cross Roads Baptist Church, 16144 GA Hwy 59, Carnesville, GA 30521. Condolences may be left at ginnfuneralhome.com.
She taught both of us. Great teacher. Our sincere condolences.
What a wonderful teacher she was. When I became a teacher I carried a bit of her passion and high expectations into my own classroom. She expected the best from her students, and she got it. I hope your wonderful memories will comfort you!
Sincere Sympathy to the family. “Miss Owens” was my first grade teacher at Red Hill School — precious memories of a delightful lady.
“Miss Owens” was my fifth grade teacher at Carnesville Elementary School; she must have been fresh out of college. I was to be in an upcoming piano recital and needed something special to wear. Miss Owens, knowing there was no possibility that my mother could afford to buy such a one-time outfit, gave me one of her formal gowns from her college days. It was light pink taffeta, had a sweetheart neckline, and puff sleeves. And it fit perfectly except for length. I felt like a princess. Thank you, Miss Owens.
I love this lady. She taught me in high school but more than that she was my “go to” mentor when I became a teacher at the same high school. I knew she would be honest, caring, and unbelievably helpful in supporting, encouraging and helping be a soundboard for me during my first years. She was an unforgettable, one of a kind, amazing lady. I treasure our friendship and our close teaching relationship. I value her love, humor, tenacity, and the times we shared. So blessed to have known Mrs. Williams and to have been a part of her life. ❤️
Ms Williams was equal to any teacher/professor I had during my yeas of education. She controlled the classroom by respect. She respected us and we her.
Ms Williams came to a couple of our high school reunions. I never realized what a fun personality she had. It was really cool to relate to her as an adult. She was a blessing to me and all the people fortunate enough to be in her classroom. A life well served.
What an incredible teacher/mentor she was. I had “Miss Williams” for physical science in 9th grade at MCHS. She was a strict teacher with a hidden grin that would sneak out when we did or said something just ridiculous. I absolutely loved doing light drawings and would occasionally ask her if I could do more for extra credit (just because I loved doing them). LOL She was truly gifted in teaching our young minds and I appreciate that now. RIP
I was sad to hear of her passing. She was one of the teachers in my life who had a huge – and positive – impact. I have thought of her often through the years, and always with a smile. My condolences to her friends and family. She is in my thoughts…
I will miss Van as a neighbor and a friend. She was a wonderful neighbor, artist and friend. Safe travels Van. Enjoy your afterlife with Lee.
Very good Teacher. Made us see the world in a different way thru science. I appreciate her service to our county and our students.
As mentioned elsewhere we who had her from a student’s perspective will never forget the cartridge ink pens ( blue ink only ) , and the light drawing series . But for me the greatest moments were when you could complete a chemical reaction equation correctly . If you didn’t she would say ” let’s review this again and see where you had a problem ” . My mother Mary A. Smith taught 1st or 2nd grade at Danielsville Elementary School for 28 yrs. , and taught in her home county of Chattooga for 7 yrs. and then retired . She became very active with the Madison Co. Retired Educators because as when I carried my mother to Mrs. Margaret Burroughs funeral I heard Mrs. Williams say that she wanted to go to the reception after the funeral service because Mrs. Burroughs was “my friend” . Going back to Retired Educators for some reason the restaurant where they usually met couldn’t accommodate the group for their Christmas dinner party. Well my mother contacted a caterer and set the date. She then called 3-4 days before the dinner date to give the caterer a total for the dinner. Well the caterer got the date mixed up , and was double booked for the event. My mother almost to the point of tears didn’t know what to do . Well my father said that the three of us could cook the turkey, ham, and 5-6 vegetable dishes and host at the church fellowship hall. To make a long story short I started to go through various cookbooks and I found a recipe for carrot souffle . I prepared the recipe , and several people commented to me after they found out that I had cooked it Mrs. Williams came up to me after the meal , and told me that those were the best sweet potato’s she had eaten . When I told Mrs. Williams that they were actually carrots she said that she didn’t like carrots and would have passed on the dish . Yes, all of us who had Mrs. Williams didn’t realize at the time that she was preparing us for the harder college courses that we would face in a few years .