Carol A. Williams

Carol Williams, 81, passed away on May 3, 2025. She was born on Aug. 27, 1943, in the Bronx in New York City. She grew up in Syracuse, New York, lived in nearby Rochester, NY, for 48 years, and, after stops in Charlottesville, Virginia, and Ft. Myers, Florida, retired to Ponte Vedra Beach in 2018.

Carol proudly served her communities as a nurse, and then as a nurse practitioner. She worked at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester for many years, and then Rochester General Hospital, using her expertise in emergency rooms and cancer treatment practices. She helped to found Community Health Network during the height of the AIDS epidemic, providing care for those affected and their loved ones, and helping to run clinical trials on the first HIV drugs to become available. She organized efforts to get refugees, fleeing from wars from Vietnam to Afghanistan, started in America, finding them everything from toiletries to housing to jobs. Carol also spent decades as dedicated counselor to those struggling with addiction. She loved having fun with her family and friends, telling campfire stories, rides down whitewater rivers, and flying across lakes on sailboats.

Carol is survived by her loving husband Frank (Mac), her daughter Sarah (Tim); sons Greg (Deedee) and Joe (Chandra); grandchildren Jackson, Emma, Alexandra, Owen, Lila, Joseph, Finn and Hayden; siblings Michael, Dan, Mary Ann, Pat, and John. She was predeceased by her first spouse David, her sister Candy, and her daughter Amy.

A memorial service will be held at 11am on June 13, 2025, at Christ Church in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to Smile Train https://www.smiletrain.org/.