Marie Williams (Lebanon)'s Obituary
Clara Ruth Marie Williams, daughter of James Edward and Mary May Ramsey Fusion, was born June 30, 1915, in Richmond, Indiana. She departed this life Monday, January 30, 2017, in her home, near Lebanon, Missouri, at the age of one hundred one years and seven months.
She was preceded in death by her parents; her step-father, Amos Beach; her husbands, Gilbert Lee, Forrest “Tiny” Luper, and Billy Garth Williams; and a step-sister, Ann Personette.
Marie is survived by a son, Bill Williams, and his wife, Janet, of Lebanon, Missouri; a nephew, Jerry Personette, of Richmond, Indiana; a number of special friends including, Guylene Franklin and Tricia Pendergrass; her caregivers, Brandon Odorizzi, Carrie Howerton, Tonya Harris, and Pam Allee; as well as a host of other relatives and friends.
She was born and raised in Richmond, Indiana and then moved west to Tulsa, Oklahoma as a young lady. She established Ranch House Restaurant in Tulsa, which was one of the first businesses located on Route 66. She then made her home in Chicago, Illinois for awhile before moving to Kansas City, Missouri where she was in the motel and restaurant business for several years. She and Tiny also purchased a farm close to the city and had Shetland ponies. They returned to Lebanon and purchased the Vista Court on Route 66 on July 4, 1957, which they renamed El Rancho Motel. Five weeks after moving to Lebanon, Tiny passed away and Marie found herself handling things on her own. In March of 1958, she married B.G. and they sold the business in June. They then moved to Northern Missouri and purchased another motel, but soon came back to Lebanon and bought Travel Town Motel, which they changed to the Holiday Motel, a Friendship Inn, located on Route 66. For a time Marie and Bill operated Big Bill’s Bargain Barn and Marie also sold Avon products.
Marie was a longtime member of First Baptist Church in Lebanon.
She also belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star, and was the Highway 32 news writer for the Lebanon Daily Record for a number of years. She loved animals of all kinds and also enjoyed collecting glassware. She was a generous benefactor to Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar and Missouri State University in Springfield. Her husband Billy had an antique car that they were very proud of and it now sits in the Route 66 Museum inside the Laclede County/Lebanon Public Library.
Marie was a loving mother and was a kind and caring friend to many. She will be fondly remembered and greatly missed by all those who knew and loved her.
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