angie

IN LOVING MEMORY OF
ANGELA CLAIRE WILLIAMS
Dec. 3, 1954 - June 12, 1965

Angie was the third born in our family of 4 girls. She had beautiful curly hair, brown with a reddish glow, and pretty brown eyes. By the time she became a toddler, it was evident that she was different that the rest of us. She was very quick tempered, but lovable. She became a great animal lover, any kind of animal. And she was a Tomboy. Put her on her bicycle or in the swimming pool, and she was happy. She could swim like a fish.
Angie was a champion of the underdog. Maybe that seems strange to you, since she was only 11 1/2 when she died. But she was a friend to the children who had no friends. I remember her crying about a little girl, when they were in the third grade that the teacher punished because she didn't know her spelling words. Angie was so upset, saying that Linda couldn't help it if she didn't know them. She was friends with a couple of black children, which was most definitely not the thing to do in 1960's, small town Mississippi.
Angie would go up and pet any dog that came around, no matter how ugly or dirty it was. Our mom used to caution her constantly about that, but she would just say that they know me and that I am their friend.
One day, a friend called our dad about a dog someone had given to him. He had been on the look out for a dog for Angie. She had told dad that every kid needs a pet. It was a female German Shepherd, and she had been badly mistreated. She was terrified of humans. It wasn't long till Angie had Judy totally in love with her. Mom asked her if she talked to Judy and she said that of course she did. And did Judy talk back to her, and the answer was, again, of course. Judy would do anything Angie asked of her. Every afternoon after school, she would take her out for a walk, then they would both have a small coke and a bag of Fritoes.

Angie and Judy were together about 3 months when Angie got sick. She was sick at home for a week and in the hospital for a week. She died from Eastern Equine Encephalitis. It is a virus that attacks the brain. From what I read about it, it was believed at that time, it was dormant in horses and could be passed from them to humans by mosquitoes. I even read one article that suggested that it might be passed directly from horses to humans. Dad had taken her to a quarter horse show two weekends in a row, the second on a week before she became ill.   She had also tried to nurse a sick bird back to health, so we will never know the real source.
     She had spent the last weekend that she was well in the city swimming pool with friends. It was the first weekend of the summer.
     I was 19 at the time and remember very little about the funeral, except for her best friend, Melissa, coming to mom and burying her head in her lap and crying. There had been one group of children after another to come to our home. One mom brought three little boys, who were friends and all three had claimed her as their girlfriend. Angie could care less. They weren't covered with fur. But she did enjoy teasing our sister, who was 15 months older than her, that she had stolen one of her boyfriends.
     Angie's two favorite songs were "Hello Dolly", by Louis Armstrong, and the one that is playing, "Mrs. Brown You Have a Lovely Daughter", by Herman and the Hermits. For any young people who might read this, they were one of the popular British groups that followed the Beatles over.
     I had thought since I was so much older than Angie, that I kind of understood what my mother had gone through. I had no inkling until I lost my own children, Andy & Jamie. There is no sorrow and heartbreak like losing a child.

Angie, Rest in Peace, in the arms of God, Always

HOW DO YOU DESCRIBE A TOMBOY?
See her running across the yard, a puppy at her heels and one in her arms.
Next, she'll probably find a kitten, or a few little frogs,
to put in her pocket.
She'll even take a bird and try to mend it's wing.

How do you describe a tomboy?

The swimming pool every day, or a bicycle trip around the square.
Don't ask her to wear a dress, that just wouldn't be fair.

How do you describe a tomboy?

Pretty brown curls. and big brown eyes,
a tanned little body, and sometimes dirty feet.
She'll champion the downtrodden, forgive her oppressors, and
has just as soon talk with the grownups, they treat her with respect.

How do you describe a tomboy?

We named her ANGELA

written, with Love, by your big sister, Rosemarie
copywrite, 1999, please do not take without permission

this page was designed, with LOVE, by Rosemarie Kellar,
Angie's Big Sister