Anne Mason Williams 1944 - 2020

Longtime Carlton resident Anne Mason Williams, 75, died April 30, 2020, in her home.

A descendant of the Trullinger pioneer family who arrived in Oregon in 1848, she was the daughter of Melvin E. and Alice Anne Mason. Anne was born May 10, 1944, at Fort Bragg, North Carolina while her father served in the U.S. Army. She attended Carlton Elementary and graduated from Yamhill-Carlton High School in 1962. Anne attended Oregon State University and belonged to the Chi Omega sorority. She loved all things Oregon State—at one point, she didn’t miss a home football game for 26 years and was a longtime member of the Beaver Club, now known as Our Beaver Nation.

She married Donn Peter Williams in 1965. They lived briefly in McMinnville and East Wenatchee, Washington, before returning to Carlton in 1967. Their son, Jay Mason Williams, was born in 1971.

A champion of education, her commitment to improving the lives of area students started in the 1970s. She advocated for adding kindergarten to the Carlton School District and led many campaigns to approve operating levies and special bond levies for Carlton Elementary School and Yamhill-Carlton High School. She later served as a member of the high school’s board of education, including time as the board’s chair and also as a member of the task force that guided the 1993 unification of the high school district with the separate Yamhill and Carlton elementary school districts.

Anne served on the Carlton Planning Commission from 1996 to 2014, spent many years as a board member and chair of the volunteer committee for Carlton’s Walk in the Park event, chaired the election board in the Carlton precinct and was an officer of the Carlton Civic Club. She took great pride in helping put together the historical book, “Reflections of Carlton,” published in 1976, and the “Carlton Cooks” cookbook, published in 1987.
She worked at Thrifty Drug and U S Bank in McMinnville, and also part time at Portland Glove Company in Carlton before focusing on raising her child and volunteering. She returned to work in the 1990s as accounting manager for WillaKenzie Estate winery and later business manager for Soléna Estate winery.

Anne loved to read, travel and always found time to help any friend in need.

In addition to her husband and son, Anne is survived by sisters, Lynne Bolton of Tualatin and Sally Richards of Las Vegas, Nevada; daughter-in-law, Julie Anne Adam of Bonner Springs, Kansas; and grandchildren, Quinnlyn Alyssa Walcott of Lawrence, Kansas, and Jensen Alexa Walcott of Kansas City, Kansas.

A private cremation will be held, with a memorial service to be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Anne Mason Williams Memorial Fund in care of the Carlton Walk in the Park Foundation, P.O. Box 99, Carlton, OR 97111, or in person at First Federal Savings & Loan in Carlton.
To leave condolences, please visit www.macyandson.com.