Renee Williams led a simple life with her husband and three children, living in their ranch-style home in Clarence Center for more than 50 years.
“We were not well-to-do whatsoever growing up,” said Renee Sliwinski, Williams’ oldest child. “But one of the things she’s always enjoyed was Letchworth. She loved going down there as a child, and that would become our pilgrimage. Walking down to the lower falls and the flume was the cat’s meow for her.”
Williams was 93 when she died of Covid-19 on April 7 after a brief stay at Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital in Amherst. She was transported there by ambulance from the Vinecroft Retirement Community in Clarence Center, where she had lived for only two years with her cat, Muppy.
“She was opinionated, driving right up to the end,” said her daughter. “We were seriously considering trying to take the keys away from her without starting a war. She liked that little bit of independence.”
During the short time Williams lived at the retirement center, she adapted nicely to its community lifestyle, exercising daily with her new friends, sharing meals, chatting.
Covid-19 put an end to community activities at the retirement center. Residents were advised to eat alone. They were asked not to congregate. Visitors were not allowed. Two weeks passed as phone conversations with her family grew shorter and less frequent, her daughter recalled.
“I think she started to get depressed, but come to find out, she wasn’t answering her cellphone because she did not know who was calling. She was in the throes of the virus by that time,” Sliwinski said.
“She was having a hard time breathing, but I really could only catch part of that on the phone. She didn’t have an appetite, and her mouth was dry," she added.
Williams was administered oxygen for three days, her daughter said.
“They tried antibiotics, anti-malarials, high doses of Vitamin C and Zinc, but she kept getting worse," Sliwinski said. "She did not want any extraordinary measures. She wanted to go in her sleep. Putting her on a ventilator wasn’t part of that process.”
In addition to her oldest daughter, Williams is survived by her son, Craig, and another daughter, Joan Genet; and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren.
The family plans a celebration of her life in the future.
