Dr. Rosa Lee Williams, 79, was born on September 20, 1943 in Lincolnton, NC to the late Jack and Alice Clay Williams. She departed this life on Wednesday, January 26, 2023 at White Oak Manor, Shelby.

Rose, as she was affectionately known, had a welcoming personality, loved to dance, and always wore a smile. She joined First Baptist Lawndale at an early age. After moving to Detroit in the late 1960’s, she joined Hartford Memorial Baptist Church. She graduated from Douglas High School in Lawndale, NC in 1961 and Winston-Salem State University in 1965, earning a degree in Elementary Education. She honored her commitment to WSSU by becoming a lifetime member of the National Alumnae Club and the RAMS Club. Rosa also graduated from Wayne State University where she earned her Doctorate of Education. She retired from the Detroit Public School System where she served as a principal at Earhart Middle School. While working in the school system, she was named the 1994 Michigan Secondary Principal of the Year and also one of the four finalist for the National Principal of the Year. Rosa received the 1995 Milken Family Foundation National Educator Award, which recognized excellence in the teaching profession. She was among the educators from around the United States who helped formulate the National Board of Professional Teaching Standards in 1987.

Retirement lured her back to the Carolinas and she landed in Sun City Retirement Community, Indian Land, South Carolina. With her passion to be of service and contribute to the community, she founded the Renaissance Club. An avid reader, she also joined the Sun City Book Club; attended Steele Hill AME Zion Church. Rosa was a lifetime member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., and current member of the Shelby Alumnae Chapter; and a NAACP lifetime member.

She was preceded in death by three sisters—Paula Vinson, Juanita Williams, and Mae Love Williams. She leaves loving memories to three sisters, Jacqueline Peeler, Lawndale, NC; Joan Jamison, Kings Mountain, NC; and Susie Young, Shelby, NC; and a host of nieces, nephews, and other relatives.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, February 4, 2023 at 10:30 AM at Mount Calvary Baptist Church. Entombment will take place at Sunset Cemetery. The service will be live-streamed starting at 10:15 AM from Enloe Mortuary’s Facebook page. The family will receive friends from 10:00 AM until 10:30 AM and at other times at 1415 Lenoir Drive Shelby.