Hilda Gray Williams, age 86, passed away Wednesday, September 11, 2024, at Carolina Medical Center/Atrium in Charlotte with family present.

Born in rural Franklin County near Bunn, N.C. on May 8th, 1938, she grew up on "tobacco rd.". Hilda was the daughter of Johnnie Lee Carlyle and Kate Wilder Carlyle. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by brothers Fred Vinson Carlyle and Perry Lee Carlyle.

Hilda lost her husband, James Speed Williams, of 63 years on January18, 2022 who also died at age 86. Survivors include her three children, James Carlyle Williams (Kathleen), Elizabeth Gray Williams Taylor (Bo), and Daniel Speed Williams (Anne), 16 loving grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Hilda grew up in a home bereft of running water, no electricity, a wood stove for cooking, coal fired furnace and an open pit well on a tenant tobacco farm. . She attended school during school year, but her summers were busy on the farm hanging tobacco. She grew up knowing hard work and appreciating the simple things of life.

After graduating high school, she worked with Bell Telephone as an operator in Raleigh, N.C. She was an elite bowler on a Raleigh women's league and has always loved the game. She met her future husband while playing Putt Putt in Raleigh and was married to Speed in 1958. Soon, children were on the way and she became a devoted wife and mother. She moved to numerous places following her husband's career as an electrical engineer, but ultimately settled in Shelby in 1968.

Hilda never learned to swim, so was determined that her children would become excellent swimmers. At the earliest age, she had them enrolled for swimming lessons at Cowan's Ford CC, Lake Norman and when the family moved to Shelby had them join the Shelby Swim Team. She was an enthusiastic swim team parent for many years and drove her children far and wide to swim meets. She was a life long member of First Baptist Church and active member of her Sunday School Class. She worked many years in the Shelby School System as a teacher's aid which she really enjoyed. She and her husband were active in numerous charitable organizations including Keep North Carolina Beautiful. She had a beautiful singing voice and is fondly remembered for her yodeling which helped inspire her daughter Elizabeth to follow a career in music theater/opera. Her greatest quality was her silent, humble devotion to home and hearth. She was the heart, glue and cement of family life and the center of happy love for her husband and children. A joyful, sweet, attractive simple soul, she is sorely missed by all her family and friends.

The funeral service will be held Friday, September 20th at 2:00PM at the Chapel of Cecil M. Burton Funeral Home & Crematory with Rev. Asher Panton officiating. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service at 1:00PM. Burial will follow the service at Cleveland Memorial Park.

Online condolences may be made at www.cecilmburtonfuneralhome.com

Cecil M. Burton funeral Home and Crematory is compassionately serving the family