Janice Wood Williams

Janice Wood Williams was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on July 24, 1947. At a young age, she moved with her parents, Benjamin Franklin Wood and Evelyn Glascock Wood, and her cherished older brother, Benjamin (“Ben”) F. Wood, Jr., to the sunshine of Miami, Florida, where she grew up and attended high school.

After graduating from Brenau College, Janice returned to Greensboro where she was set up on a blind date with a young sailor who had recently returned home from Naval service in the Vietnam War. Six months later, on December 31, 1970, Janice married the love of her life, Kenneth Lee “Bo” Williams, Jr., and moved to the mountains of Asheville, North Carolina to begin building their life together. In 1975, they welcomed their first son, Lee, followed by twin boys, Drew and Jonathan, and a beautiful daughter, Mary Lyn.

While in Asheville, Janice called on her deep appreciation for history and antiques, along with her gift for storytelling, as a volunteer tour docent at the Biltmore Estate. Janice was also a member of the Asheville Junior League.

Following the family’s move to Sumter, South Carolina in 1989, Janice dedicated herself to serving others, first as an advocate connecting seniors for support and resources as Director of Sumter Senior Services and later as Director of assisted living facilities in Sumter.

Janice and Bo shared a love of history and genealogy, especially her family’s connection to the Glascock & Sons Stove Foundry of Greensboro, NC. In retirement, they trekked across the Carolinas collecting Glascock cast iron skillets, Dutch ovens, and clothes irons. Janice treasured her P.E.O. sisters and their mission to motivate, educate, and celebrate women, and she served as president of P.E.O.-Chapter Q. She was also a charter member of the Carolinian. She was the quintessential classy Southern lady who never met a stranger. Janice was a voracious reader. She loved playing bridge, working on crossword puzzles, and savoring a glass of good bourbon. She made a mean Florida key lime pie. In short, Janice loved life, and her family loved her for it.

Janice passed lovingly surrounded by her children at her bedside. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Bo (2022) and her brother Ben (2013). Janice is lovingly remembered by her children: Kenneth Lee Williams, III, of Asheville, NC; Andrew “Drew” R. Williams and his wife Tracy of Columbia; Jonathan B. Williams and his wife Stephanie of Columbia; and Mary Lyn Williams of Sumter; five grandchildren: Maisy, Nathan, Mia, Ella, and Ian; her sister-in-law Juanita Edwards Wood of Stuart, FL; and her former daughter-in-law and family friend Meredith Kennedy of Columbia.

Services will be held at the Ft. Jackson National Cemetery at 11am on Monday, July 13, 2026. Family and friends will be received following the interment at Drew and Tracy’s home at 2517 Heyward Street in Columbia.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Alston Wilkes Society which rebuilds the lives of homeless veterans and others at risk in our community: 3519 Medical Drive, Columbia, South Carolina 29203, www.alsonwilkessociety.org.