Gertrude "Gert" Williams

Our beloved mother, aunt, grandmother, and great-grandmother Gertrude (Gert) Williams (neé Vassallo), 96, passed away on March 3rd, 2026. Even though she lived a long and full life, her family can hardly imagine a world without her. Everyone who met her was drawn to her kindness, her spunky personality, and the genuine interest she took in the lives of those around her. Gert was born on April 22nd, 1929, though for most of her life she celebrated her birthday on April 21st. It wasn't until later in adulthood that she looked at her birth certificate and realized her birthday was actually a day later. But it didn’t bother her at all, she simply embraced it and spent the rest of her life happily celebrating her birthday on two days instead of one. She grew up in the Italian district of Detroit with her parents and five siblings. She often told stories of her upbringing in the city during the Great Depression. In 1955, she married her husband, Raymond Williams, in Detroit, MI. Together they had three children and settled in metro-Detroit, where they lived for most of their lives. They were married for 61 years, until his passing in 2016. Gert was a warm, inviting person and made friends easily. She enjoyed many years of volunteering at libraries, spending time with her nine grandchildren, playing bingo (quite competitively), and watching her favorite TV show, Perry Mason. Gert was known to be a bit clumsy. Her family joked that she had broken every bone in her body. In her later years, her friends called her "speedy Gert" for the way she zoomed down the halls of her apartment building with her walker. She cherished the Vassallo family tradition of making 250 pounds of Italian sausage each fall with her children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews, a tradition started when she was a young adult. One of her jobs as matriarch was to sample the large bottle of wine before it was poured over the sausage to make sure it was safe for the family. As our family mourns her loss, we also celebrate her life. We celebrate the impact she had on each of us, the memories we share, and the close-knit family she leaves behind. Like her birthday, Gert taught us that celebration shouldn’t be limited to just one day. Instead, we can honor her every day - in the way we remember her, the stories we tell, and the love we continue to share. And truly, we have so much to celebrate. She is preceded in death by her husband, Raymond Williams; parents, Joseph and Orvilla Vassallo; and siblings Mary Mirasole, Don Vassallo, Joseph Vassallo, Jerome Vassallo, and Dorothy Paulun. She is survived by her children, Vicky (Steve) Hart, Fran (Dean) Solomon, and Jerry (Cathy) Williams; grandchildren Jessica (Brandon) Steinmann, Diane (Jonathan) Kofahl, Michelle (David) Ladewig, Keith (Lane) Solomon, Paul Solomon, Jill (Nathan) Brandt, Katie (Jeff) Englar, Jennifer (David) Conklin, and Kevin Williams; great-grandchildren Luke, Jackson, Wesley, Gwenyth, James, Grace, Grant, Carter, Shane, Jason, and Paige; and many nieces and nephews. Celebration of Life, Saturday, April 18th, from 10am-12pm at Wujek - Calcaterra & Sons Inc., 36900 Schoenherr Rd., at Metro Parkway (16 Mile). Immediately following the Service there will be a luncheon at Mangiabevi Urban Italian, 35219 Dodge Park Road, Sterling Heights, MI 48312. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Catholic Charities Southeast Michigan (https://www.ccsem.org/). Please share memories with the family at their online guestbook at WujekCalcaterra.com

Gertrude "Gert" Williams

April 22, 1929 - March 3, 2026