Donna "Sammie" Lee Williams

With sad hearts we announce the passing of Donna “Sammie” Williams of Grayling Michigan on Saturday 1 November 2025 at the age of 102. Sammie was born on 1 October 1923 in Grayling, Michigan, the youngest of Frank and Eva LaMotte’s five daughters.

Sammie lived most of her life in Grayling and in her early years spent many hours at the Grayling Winter Sports Park at Hanson Hills ice skating with friends. She also enjoyed watching, “chasing,” the yearly canoe races, especially the one time in her 90s with her great grandchildren. Some of her favorite memories were riding the Snow Train, swimming at the lake, and of course picking wild blueberries and morel mushrooms.

On February 27, 1943 she married the love of her life Charles “Gus” Williams who she met at a local baseball game where he was the catcher and her dad was the umpire!

During the WWII era, Sammie was a “Rosie” in Murphy’s Factory in Detroit and then while living in New Orleans she worked in a candy factory in the French Quarter.

In the late 1950s, Gus built their forever home in Graying. Upon returning to Grayling with their two girls, Sammie worked for many years at the Bear Archery in the feather department and later worked at the Grayling Holiday Inn. She lived in the house Gus built until just before she turned 100 years old.

Sammie was preceded in death by her husband, Gus, her daughter and son-in-law Sharon and Lewie Stinson, her parents, Frank and Eva LaMotte, her four sisters Lillian Clough (Lily), Margaret Balch (Boots), Isabell Schwartz (Bummie), and Marie Akers (Pete). She is survived by her beloved family, daughter and son-in-law Pat and Gary Swanson, grandchildren RaeAnne Swanson, Steve Stinson, Marcie (Scott) Daly, and Charles (Becky) Stinson, great grandchildren Jordan, Jessica, Marisa, and Charles, nieces Maribeth Miller and Lynn Marie Welsh, nephew Larry Lee Akers and many family and friends.

Sammie was a life-long member of Saint Mary’s Catholic Church and her funeral services will be held at the Sorenson Lockwood Funeral Home in Grayling on Friday 7 November 2025 with public viewing beginning at 10am, followed by a service at 11am.

Correspondence can be sent to: The Swanson Family, 10584 98th Street, Largo, FL 33773

Arrangements entrusted to Sorenson-Locwkood Funeral Home.