Brenda Gail Williams

Brenda Gail Harman Williams, age 80, passed away on April 22, 2026, with her family by her side after a long illness. Born at the old homeplace in Bear Wallow, Virginia, on March 9, 1946, to Fred Harman and Elise Day Harman, she spent her childhood in Squire, West Virginia, to raise her family in Cedar Bluff, Virginia, and to fully live out her remaining days in the Danville, Virginia, area. She is the last surviving member of her immediate family. Brenda made lifelong friends during her school years in Squire and as a 1965 graduate of Big Creek High School. After high school, she graduated from Bluefield Business School and began working as an administrative secretary at Bird Bluefield Sanitarium. During this time, she began corresponding with a young Army soldier, Willis P. Williams, who was stationed in Germany. Their pen-pal friendship blossomed into love when Willis returned home, and the two married on June 4, 1967. They settled in Cedar Bluff, where Brenda left her job to begin their life together and raise their family in Bane Bottom. She was of the Baptist faith and was a longtime member of the Cedar Bluff Presbyterian Church. In the early 1990s, Brenda received an Honorary Life Membership from the Presbyterian Women in recognition of her faithful service to the women’s organization and her church family. She served as a pianist and sang in the church choir, often as a soloist. Brenda loved reading good books, crocheting, sipping iced tea, and enjoying seafood. She made every family birthday special by baking birthday cakes to enjoy with her family, remembering every date of birth until the very end of her life. In her later years, she moved to the Danville, Virginia, area to live with her son and his family. She never missed watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, enjoyed shopping, wearing jewelry, and spending time with her two granddaughters. Her final months were filled with beach trips to North Carolina, reconnecting with friends, and simple moments shared with those she loved most. Brenda was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Elise Harman, and her husband, Willis P. Williams. Those left to honor her memory include her children, daughter Donna Lynn Williams of Apopka, Florida, and her son and daughter-in law Fred G. and Anne Williams of Ringgold, Virginia; her granddaughters, Alexis Morrisette of Danville, Virginia, and Sarah Elizabeth Williams, attending NC State in Raleigh, North Carolina; sister-in-law, Christine Williams of Cedar Bluff, Virginia; brothers-in-law, Urschel Williams of Bluewell, West Virginia, and George Edward Williams of Paintlick, Virginia; and dear friend, Pearl Akers of Princeton, WV. Brenda’s family extends heartfelt thanks to Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care of VA and NC, Swicegood Funeral Home of Danville, VA, and Hurst-Scott Funeral Home of Richlands, VA, for their compassionate care and support during her final days. Proverbs 31: 28-29 “Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: ‘Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all.’” Funeral services for Brenda Gail Williams will be conducted at 11:00 am on Saturday, April 25, 2026, at the Hurst-Scott Funeral Chapel in Richlands, VA, with the Rev. Allen Gross officiating. Interment will follow at Greenhills Memory Gardens, at Claypool Hill, VA. Relatives and friends will serve as pallbearers. Visitation for Brenda Gail Williams will be from 6-8 pm on Friday evening at the funeral home. Memorial contributions may be made to Mountain Valley Hospice and Palliative Care, P.O. Box 325; Dobson, NC 27017; and Danville-Pittsylvania Cancer Association; 223 Riverview Dr; Suite J; Danville, VA 24541 Hurst-Scott Funeral Home in Richlands is in charge of arrangements, and those wishing to express sympathy online may do so at www.hurstscottfuneralhomes.com

Brenda Gail Williams

March 9, 1946 - April 22, 2026