Westville Cemetery
Adair County, Oklahoma

Bernice Mildred Williams Hickman

December 2007
Submitted by: Ahnawake Slater

Bernice Mildred (Williams) Hickman Of Sacramento California, passed away on December 23, 2007 at the age of 99.

Bernice was born in Westville, Oklahoma on November 21, 1908. She was the daughter of James Lewis Williams and Bertha Loflin Williams, granddaughter of John Lewis Wardlow Williams and Sarah Elizabeth Harnage Williams, great-granddaughter of William Harnage and Martha Snow Harnage, pioneer Westville families and great great granddaughter of Ambrose Harnage.

Bernice lived in Westville where she graduated from Westville High School in 1927. In 1928, she and the family moved to Kansas City, Missouri where her father managed a grocery store, brother Vernon "Dyke" and sister Ruth both kept books for large companies and Bernice a file clerk with National Bellas Hess.

In 1947, Bernice and her family moved from Liberal, Kansas to California. In the years following she lived in Alameda, Inglewood and Torrance until 1984 when she moved to Sacramento to be closer to her children and grandchildren. She loved to garden, cook (and eat her own cooking), loved nice clothes and her 1966 Buick Gran Sport 401.

She was preceded in death by her sisters, Lois Williams Washington of Fort Smith, Arkansas, Ruth Williams of Los Angeles, California, Margrette Williams Hix of Torrance, California, Noreen Williams Githens of Fort Smith, Arkansas, and brothers, Ralph E. Williams of Flint, Michigan and Vernon L. "Dyke" Williams of Fort Myers, Florida.

Bernice was the loving mother of Ahnawake Slater, Sacramento, and Gary Hickman, Oakdale, grandmother of 3, great-grandmother of 3, great-great grandmother of 4 and aunt to numerous nieces and nephews.

Interment will be in the Westville City Cemetery under the direction of Roberts Funeral Home. A brief graveside service is planned for Thursday, June 26th at 2:00 PM.