Obituary of Beatrice Joiner Williams

On February 21, 1952, in Orlando, FL, a baby girl was born to Ted (Theodore) and Bertha Williams and they named her Beatrice Brenda Williams. She joined her brother Henry and was soon followed by another brother, Andrew. By the age of 2, her parents knew that Brenda was very sick and she was eventually diagnosed with brain cancer. The doctors prepared them to lose her since there were no medical remedies available at that time. The parents took their beloved daughter home and prayed that God cover her in His love and that's exactly what happened. Brenda, or BB as she was known to her family and close friends, was an intelligent and motivated child. She excelled in school even at a time when Black people were still fighting for their equal right to attend schools that were not segregated. However, it was around 12 years of age when she realized that not all people experienced constant pain the way that she did. Her parents did not tell her about the cancer and she continued to thrive under miraculous circumstances. Brenda went on to have 2 children, Tasha and Michael, and obtained an AA in criminal justice which she used as a juvenile probation officer. She eventually went to work as an operator for Southern Bell and was even a union steward for a time. After her first marriage ended in divorce, she reconnected with her first love, Izear (Jack) Joiner, Jr. and together they raised 6 children: Tasha, Michael, Izear (Chuck), III, Lynard, Kizzie, and Elijah. Over the years, Brenda's pain continued to grow until she finally left Florida and moved to Minnesota in order to receive treatments from specialists at the University and Mayo Clinic. There were several surgeries and chemo along with many experimental treatments but through it all, she conintued to thrive. She was a supervisor at US West/Qwest before leaving to work at Traveler's. She obtained a BA in Business Administration and another in Information Technology. She was able to travel all over the country and some of her trips were prizes earned for stellar work at her job. She was able to travel to Alaska, Hawaii, and the Bahamas as well as CA, CO, and NY among other states. After leaving Traveler's, she returned to CenturyLink and continued to be a top performer. During this time. She was diagnosed with trigeminal neuralgia, a devastating illness of facial nerve pain...and still she thrived. On Monday, November 7, 2016 at 6:08 pm, God saw his soldier had grown weary and He chose to liberate her from her pain. For the first time in her life, there was no pain and that alone is a reason to rejoice in her freedom. Brenda is preceded in death by her parents, Ted and Bertha Williams, her brother Henry Williams, and her nephews Theodore Williams and Andrew Williams, II. She is survived by her brother, Andrew Williams; her daughters, Tasha (Allen) Williams-Hudson and Kizzie Whittaker; her sons, Michael (Sarah) Williams, Izear Joiner, III, Lynard Joiner, and Elijah Whittaker; 21 grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, a host of sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews from her husband's family, and a wealth of friends. A Memorial Gathering will take place Saturday, November 19th, 2016 from 1pm to 4pm at the Cremation Society of Minnesota, Brooklyn Park Chapel, (7835 Brooklyn Blvd, Brooklyn Park)