Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

It’s often said that the best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.
Donnie Marie Williams did just that. She enjoyed cooking and sharing a meal with others.

For many years, she was Cooking Group Director at Valley Forge Free Will Baptist Church. She used this special talent to supply meals to countless families who had a death, were recovering from sickness, or just needed a bit of encouragement.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Donna and her husband, Clyde, delivered meals to numerous families. They would fix meals and put them on the porches of those who were stuck at home.

To many in the church, Donna’s home-cooked meals, delivered and served with love, were one of the many defining traits of her goodness.

Donna, 62, died Jan. 12 in the Johnson City Medical Center after a brief illness.

Formerly of the Biltmore community, Donna enjoyed her Christian journey, which took her from Biltmore Baptist Church to Harvest Baptist, and finally to Valley Forge Free Will Baptist Church, where she had been a faithful member since 2008. Her husband, Clyde, said Donna loved her church “dearly.” At Valley Forge Free Will, Donna was a member of the Sanctuary Class and enjoyed fellowship and activities with the Seniors Group.

In addition to her cooking activities at the church, Donna loved music and singing. She assisted with playing the piano and was a member of the Praise Choir. Her obituary noted she was usually one of the first to come to practice and loved singing and building friendships with her “soprano sisters.”

Her husband noted that all songs were her “favorite.”
“She always had a song on her heart and loved learning new songs,” Clyde said.
“It was the same with people. If she didn’t know you, she soon would. She had a lot of church friends,” he added.

In addition to cooking for church friends, she loved to visit them as well. She often would call church friends to check on them, especially if they were sick or missed church. “She was a very caring person,” Clyde said.

One of her favorite dishes to fix for the sick was oven-baked fried chicken. “She made a lot of that,” Clyde shared. “She used a lot of her mother’s recipes.”

Donna, in her earlier years, had worked at Hillview Health and Rehab Center. For more than 20 years, she worked in banking and finance; among the places she worked was Citigroup.

Donna’s obituary described her as a “hidden saint” in the church, always serving behind the scenes and putting others before herself. “She would get to know those around her and initiate a friendship. Once she became acquainted with you and your family, she would pray for you and check on you with genuine concern and a deep sense of caring. She used her time and phone to check on and encourage countless people,” said Clyde.

A friend noted on Donna’s tribute page that she was the “hands and feet of Jesus,” and you sensed that in her sweet spirit.

Another friend wrote: “Always had a smile on her face and laughter in her voice.”

Finally, a church friend wrote: “Donna had a calming voice, and a humble, sweet spirit.”

Donna leaves behind a twin sister, Jennifer Strope; a son, Andrew Clyde, and his wife and son, Gabriel Philip; and a brother, Jack Pritchard.

Donna was laid to rest Jan. 16 in Happy Valley Memorial Park, and today she is singing with the Heavenly Chorus.

You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving. The measure of all love is giving.