Julia Holmes Williams

Mrs. Julia Ann Holmes Williams was born on December 15, 1949, in Ashburn, Georgia, to the late Odell N. and Hudson Holmes, Jr. She was the granddaughter of the late Annie Mae Simon and Hudson Holmes Sr., of Inaha, Georgia, and the late Julia Mae and Shelton Walker of Ashburn, Georgia.

She accepted Christ as her savior at an early age as a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church of Ashburn, Georgia. Julia attended Sunday School weekly and performed as pianist for the Fifth Sunday Church Mission.

After moving to Cuthbert, Georgia, Julia joined the family of Virgil Chapel Missionary Baptist Church, where she served as a faithful member of the choir and congregation for more than fifty years. She recently became a member of the Virgil Chapel Mission Board. She has attended many church functions, which included church revivals, union meetings and the Southwest Georgia Missionary Baptist Association.

Julia attended and graduated from Eureka High School in Ashburn, Georgia, as a member of the class of 1967. In the fall of 1967, she left Ashburn to further her education by attending Fort Valley State College, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English (1971). Julia was initiated into the Eta Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., in 1968.

While attending Fort Valley State College Julia met and married the love of her life, Wesley Williams, on January 24, 1971 (55yrs). To this union one son was born, Kelvin Lamar Williams, on November 3, 1971.

Julia had a thirst for knowledge and continued to advance her educational pursuit by obtaining a Master's in English Education from Georgia Southwestern College in Americus, Georgia (1978). She later obtained her Educational Specialist Degree in English from Columbus College in Columbus, Georgia (1991). She also earned a Certification in Administration Supervision from Albany State University in Albany, Georgia (2000).

Julia's career in education included teaching English at the middle/ high school level for 24 years in the Calhoun County School System. She later served as county-wide Curriculum Director. She was also the principal of Calhoun County Elementary school for six years. After retiring from the public schools, Mrs. Williams was employed as a full-time Assistant Professor of English at Andrew College in 2003; she served as a professor for ten years. She was later promoted to Associate Professor of English.

During her tenure at Andrew College, she was selected as a three-time Fulbright-Hayes participant and had an opportunity to travel to Asia three times; visiting Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan, Korea and China to learn about their economy, education, government and religion. During her 22-year tenure at Andrew, she also held the position as Interim Academic Dean.

 Julia was a member of several community organizations in Randolph County. She was a member of the Randolph County Family Connection Board, Georgia Retired Educators Association (GREA) and Husbands Wives and Associates (HW&A Club). 

Julia enjoyed traveling. She especially enjoyed traveling with her grandchildren to various fun and educational sites. Most recently, her grandchildren had an opportunity to visit Hawaii, Alaska, and several museums and amusement parks such as Disney World and Zoo Atlanta. She enjoyed antique shopping. She even did the 65-mile yard sale from Clay County to Mitchell County. She was featured on an episode of the Antique Road Show. 

She enjoyed working in her garden. She adopted cats and dogs and in later years became an avid bird watcher. 

The Lord called Julia Ann to rest early Thursday morning, September 24, 2026. She is preceded in death by her parents the late Odell and Hudson Holmes, Jr., Brother Hudson M. Holmes and Sister Lorraine H. Maddie. 

Julia leaves to cherish her memories her devoted husband, Wesley Williams, one son, Kelvin (Dayna) Williams of Cuthbert, Georgia. Siblings: Corene (Curtis) Love of Douglasville, Georgia, Robert (Yvonne) of Decatur, Georgia and Vanessa Holmes of Riverdale, Georgia. Three Sisters-in-Law: Bettye Williams Wilson of Valdosta, Georgia., Minnie Williams Lewis of Cuthbert, Georgia and Naomi Williams Hopps of Savannah, Georgia; one Brother-in-Law Samuel (Juanita) Williams of Montezuma, Georgia. Six Grandchildren: Kristopher (Shontavia) Williams, Kyla Williams, Kory Williams, Daylyn Walker, Brianna Williams, and Kyson Williams. Four Great Grandchildren: J'Von Wilcox, Lylah Brown, Karmyn Williams, Aleena Brown, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.