Paige Loren Williamson, 55, of Berryville, VA succumbed to cancer on Sunday, November 20, 2016 at Winchester Medical Center. She was born February 21, 1961 in Hartford, CT, to the late Douglas Loren Johnson and Marjorie Griffith Johnson. She is survived by her husband of 32 years, Timothy Williamson, their children, Captain Wesley Williamson of Ft. Drum, NY and Erica Williamson who works for GEICO in Virginia Beach, VA as well as three of her sisters, Susan Mosca (Bil) of Lovell, ME, Amy Hobart of Kennesaw, GA and Wendy Heaney (Tom) of Newport, RI. Her sister Karen Johnson predeceased her.
Paige’s radiant smile and loving nature touched the hearts of all throughout her too short life. She was a devoted mother, consummate professional, and active in community life every place she lived. On the day after her 21st birthday, she packed up her car and moved to Monterey Bay, CA accompanied by her “twin sister of a different mother”, Heather Scudder. Amy and Karen were already there, and Wendy joined them later. She met Captain Tim Williamson and the following year they wed – the second of three Johnsons to marry Army officers from Ft. Ord, CA. Over the next ten years, Paige and her family moved five times, she bore two children, attended five universities and graduated from the University of Maryland in 1993. At every station, Paige made a house into a home and ensured their children were physically secure and mentally stimulated. During a three year tour of duty in Germany, Paige started an Odyssey of the Mind elementary school team for her kids and other “Army Brats” – they learned creative approaches to problem solving, practiced teamwork and competed in three countries. When her husband deployed to Bosnia, she took Wesley and Erica to eleven more countries, knowing that the life lessons of experiencing foreign culture (and driving on the wrong side of the road) were invaluable.
Paige’s professional career fit around the needs of her family and the demands of constant moves. She sold Danish furniture, managed a warehouse, sold real estate, was an accountant, and a school teacher. After obtaining her MBA, she spent the last ten years as a real estate settlement agent. She moved to Berryville five years ago as an eventual retirement home and joined the Clarke County Lions Club immediately, where she was very active in civic projects to give back to the community. She was an incredibly talented cook who created succulent dishes from the harvest of the garden or could take anything in the pantry and make a three star meal. She loved the outdoors, was an avid hiker and gardener, and always had a dog nearby.
Donations in Paige’s memory may be made to the dog rescue at Tarashouse.org or by check to Tara’s House, 8775 Centre Park Dr. #258, Columbia, MD 21045.
A memorial service will be held at Enders & Shirley Funeral Home Chapel in Berryville on Saturday, December 3 at 4pm with reception following.
To view the obituary and send condolences online, please visit www.endersandshirley.com.