Elizabeth "Betty Ann" Williams

Elizabeth “Betty Ann” Williams, age 85, of Traverse City, Michigan, passed away on Saturday, January 6, 2024, surrounded by her loving family, at Boardman Lake Glens Assisted Living.

Betty Ann was born on July 2, 1938, in Marquette, Michigan, daughter of Glen Young and Pauline (Hayes) Wolf. She spent many summers with family in Marquette, Munising, and Beaver Basin while growing up in California. She attended the University of California at Berkeley and the University of Hawaii, majoring in business. While in Hawaii, she met John William McCutcheon Jr., and they were married on January 30, 1959. They parted ways, but remained close friends throughout her life. On November 27, 1963, she married William Clarence Baker. While raising their young children in Tennessee, Betty Ann was active in the Girl Scouts and the March of Dimes and was selected as one of 1972’s Outstanding Young Women of America. After her divorce in 1974, Betty Ann moved back to Munising to raise her daughters and worked at City Hall as secretary to the manager and then as city clerk. She enjoyed working for the city and interacting with its community members.  She found love again and married John Herbert Williams on June 19, 1986. They enjoyed traveling to warmer climates during the winter months and pontooning on Lake Superior during the summertime. In their retirement years, they moved to Appleton, Wisconsin, to be closer to family, and then to Traverse City, Michigan.

She enjoyed watching her grandchildren grow and was an integral part of their lives. Betty Ann enjoyed spending time with her family and much beloved pets, being a “synchro skating mom/grandma," reading, knitting, working on crossword puzzles, and sitting in the sun. She was her family’s sunshine.

Betty Ann is survived by her daughters, Shelby Baker, Cynthia Peters, and Amy (Scott) Palomaki, grandchildren, Madison Alvarez, Paige and Sydney Palomaki, and great-grandchild, Dawson Alvarez. 

She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, John Williams, and her son-in-law, Fritz Peters.

The family would like to extend a heartfelt thank you to the caring staff at Boardman Lake Glens and Hospice of Michigan for their care and compassion for Betty Ann.

Please feel free to share your thoughts and memories with Betty Ann’s family at her tribute page at https://www.reynolds-jonkhoff.com/obituaries/Elizabeth-Williams-66/#!/TributeWall

The family is being cared for by the Reynolds-Jonkhoff Funeral Home and Cremation Services.