Aileen Williams, wife of 35 years to the late Thomas Denver Williams, died September 27, 2020, in Cynthiana, Kentucky.
She was born in 1927 in Blue Diamond, Kentucky to the late Rusaw & Sophie Huff Saylor. Aileen is a name of Irish origin and means bright or shining light. It is a unique name. Our mom Aileen was a beautiful person with a determined and independent spirit, yet she moved through life with dignity and grace. When you talked with Aileen, it was a soft conversation accompanied with a smile. She lived simply, focusing her time and resources on things she could hold in her heart rather than what she could hold in her hand. She was an elegant lady with a kind heart, traits that forever touched family, friends, and acquaintances.
Her last years were spent at Cedar Ridge Health Campus, Cynthiana, Kentucky. She created new friendships and once said living there was like being back in a college dorm. Our family owes the staff at Cedar Ridge an un-repayable debt of gratitude. They loved and cared for Aileen and us, as though we were family. Their careful care enriched her final years.
She is survived by five children: Deborah Madison (David), Karen Williams, Paul Williams (Jan), Marisa Palkuti (Gabe) and Rex Williams (Maxine McKinley); a brother, Harold Saylor; eight grandchildren: Nathan Madison (Mary), Chris Madison (Mina), Sarah Fitzgerald, Alex Fitzgerald (Elise), Marc Williams (Jenn), Andrew Williams (Kelli), McKinley Williams and Camryn Williams; and four great-grandchildren: Denver Madison, Elijah Madison, Larkin Williams and Ripley Jane Williams. There are nieces and nephews too numerous to mention, but upon whose lives she left a deep impression.
Also preceding Aileen in death were three brothers, Walter, Bev & Ralph Saylor, and her dear friend Earl McNabb, who enriched her life for eighteen years.
The Aileen Williams we knew was a woman molded in part by the mission of the school she attended - Berea College. Her loyalty to those ideals have influenced her life since 1946. Memorial donations may be made in her name to Berea College, CPO 2216, Berea, KY 40404.
A private service will be held at the convenience of the family in Battle Grove Cemetery.
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