Essie B. Williams

Essie B. Williams, a beloved matriarch from Boston, Massachusetts, was born on January 14, 1935, in Ohatchee, Alabama, to Curlious Sturkie. She peacefully transitioned on the morning of December 14, 2024, at the age of 89.

Essie’s life was a testament to resilience, determination, and love. In the late 1950s, she relocated her family to Boston, where she met and married the love of her life, Lonnie C. Williams. Together, they built a warm and nurturing home, blending their families as Essie embraced and raised Lonnie’s two sons as her own. Her career reflected her passion for caregiving and service. Essie worked for many years at the Hebrew Rehabilitation Center for Aged in Dorchester, MA. She later took on a role as a courier for Stop & Shop Headquarters in Quincy, MA, but her heart ultimately drew her back to eldercare. She found fulfillment as a Home Healthcare Aide for the Council of Elder Care Services in Roxbury, MA, a position she held until her well-earned retirement.

Essie’s life was centered on family, food, and community. A natural hostess, she filled her home with love, laughter, and the comforting aroma of southern meals like collard and turnip greens, black-eyed peas, pork chops, chitterlings, and her own homemade hog head cheese. Her kitchen was always a source of joy. Her green thumb brought life to a windowsill full of thriving plants and she enjoyed passing time doing jigsaw and crossword puzzles.

With sharp wit, undeniable charm, and fearless spirit, Essie was a vibrant presence in every room. She was a pillar of strength and an unwavering ally to those she held dear. Her greatest joy was being a mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, sharing her love and care with not only her family but with countless others she lovingly considered her own.

Essie was preceded in death by her daughter, Linda Powell, son, Fulton Sturkie, and son, Calvin Williams.

She leaves to cherish her memory: her son, Paul Sturkie (Inez Johniken); son, Horace Williams, adopted daughter she raised, Jennette Curry, granddaughters Keysha Powell (Milton Sherrod) and Sebrina J. Moore (Eric Moore); her treasured great-granddaughters, Jalika Varrs and Aubri Alves; and a host of close relatives and friends.

Essie’s legacy is one of love, strength, and devotion. She will be deeply missed and fondly remembered by all whose lives she touched.