Obituary of Kay Pleasants Williams

Kay Pleasants Williams, 97, widow of Joseph Speed Williams, died Tuesday, March 12, 2024, at Sumter Grove. Born in Raleigh, NC, she was a daughter of the late Harvey McKay Pleasants and Mary Uva Mathews Pleasants. She graduated from Peace High School and Hollins College in Roanoke, Virginia. She was presented at the North Carolina Debutante Ball sponsored by the Terpsichorean Club of Raleigh. Kay married Joe Williams in 1957 and moved to Rocky Mount where they raised their family and active in the community for over 50 years. She was a former member of the Win-Thorne Garden Club, volunteer at Nash General Hospital and a sustaining member of the Raleigh Junior League. They moved to Sumter 10 years ago to be near their daughter and lived at Covenant Place Retirement Community. Kay and Joe had a blessed marriage for 60 years until his death in 2017. Some of her favorite past-times were reading, walking, cooking & cheering on the UNC Tarheels! Kay was a member of First Presbyterian Church in Sumter but was always proud to say she grew up at First Presbyterian Church of Raleigh and then part of First United Methodist Church in Rocky Mount. Her pride and joy were her family and treasured annual family trips to Hilton Head Island. She is survived by a daughter, Katherine Williams Smith (Bob) of Sumter; a son, Joseph Mark Williams (Rhonda) of Atlanta, GA; three grandchildren, Katherine Smith DaSilva (William) of Charlotte, NC; Nancy Cameron Smith (Patrick) of Washington, DC; and Cassidy McKay Williams of Munfordville, KY; and two great-grandchildren, Brooks and McKay DaSilva. She was preceded in death by a brother, William Vernon Pleasants, and her special four-legged friend “Mac”. A Memorial Service will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, March 15th at First Presbyterian Church in Sumter with the Rev. Dr. Stewart Rawson officiating. The family will receive friends right after the service. Burial will be in the Montlawn Memorial Park in Raleigh, NC on Friday, March 22nd at 12:00 noon. Memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church, 9 West Calhoun Street, Sumter SC 29150 or a charity of one’s choice. Online condolences may be sent to www.sumterfunerals.com Elmore Hill McCreight Funeral Home & Crematory, 221 Broad Street, Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements (803) 775-9386.