‘A Force For Good,' friends of Susan Williams remember her legacy
ROANOKE, Va. (WFXR) – Those who knew Susan Williams described her as funny, loyal, generous, energetic and persistent.
After her death Wednesday morning, they still cannot believe someone like that is gone.
'When I first heard about the murder, I didn't think anything about it because I didn't think it would be her,' Shannon Abell, Williams' friend and former co-worker, said. 'Then when they announced the name, it was a total shock, and it was something I never expected.'
Abell said Williams always tried to help people, serving on several non-profits. In 1988, she became the executive director of the Local Office on Aging (LOA), a non-profit organization focused on helping senior citizens remain independent for as long as possible.
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During nearly three decades there, she led the organization through big changes.
'She was a persistent, very charismatic leader,' Ron Boyd, the president and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of LOA, said. 'Some of the things she led LOA through was the purchase of our first facility there on Campbell Avenue, the formalization of case management services, and our largest Meals on Wheels fundraiser that we hold.'
Both Abell and Boyd said she always wanted to know about her co-workers, and she would remember all their birthdays.
She also loved to travel worldwide, but she would always think of them wherever she went.
'She would bring back mementos from the trip and give it to all of us,' Abell said. 'We would have those sitting on our desk or bookshelves in the office, remembering some of the trips and places she had been.'
Boyd said he plans to work with the Board of Directors to honor the legacy in some way at the office in the future after the freshness of the incident dies down.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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