PHYLLIS FLOWERS WILLIAMS
Obituary
Born in Byrdstown Tennessee the only daughter of Drexel and Hester Flowers, she was preceded in death by four brothers Clifford, Freeman, Odel and Phillip. She grew up on a family farm and attended Green Briar grade school. As a teenager she loved to play basketball and helped on the farm which also had a tobacco base. At 17 she went to work at the Sutton Shirt factory in Byrdstown. While at the shirt factory Jean saved her money over the years, finally buying herself a new Mercury Monterey auto. She met W. T. Williams Jr (Bill who she also called “T”) in the late fifties while driving around Albany Kentucky with her friends. It was love at first sight. Bill would later say, one of the reasons he married Jean was that she made the best chocolate pie ever!
Bill and Jean were married in Albany, Kentucky. Bill, a Korean War veteran, was working as an oil well driller. Jean had continued to work at the shirt factory. They had one son, Jeff born in Albany. In 1965 Bill and Jean moved to Fortville Indiana. Bill had taken a job at Allison Transmission and Jean quickly found work at the RCA plant in Indianapolis. Together Bill and Jean saved their money and bought a home in Ingalls. By then, Jean had switched jobs having gone to work at Western Electric where she made rotary and then touch-tone telephones.
With her background working at the shirt factory Jean developed a love for sewing and made her own clothes for many years. Growing up on a farm during hard times led to her second love, gardening, and canning. Her passion for growing vegetables and flowers would stay with her the rest of her life. Jean continued to work at Western Electric until the plant closed in 1984. By this time Jean had had multiple back surgeries, the result of a life of hard work, despite her back flair-ups she continued to garden, sew, bake and can food; always making those fantastic chocolate pies and a daily batch of cornbread for Bill.
The love of Jean’s life Bill passed away in 2008 after 49 years of marriage, having retired from Allison Transmission. Jean continued to keep her own home and independence, staying busy with her garden, cooking and family. In 2019 Jean was diagnosed with dementia which ultimately resulted in her death. She is survived by her son Jeff and his wife Nicki, grandchildren Jennifer (Nate) Peyton) and Samuel (Amanda) Williams and three great grandchildren, Elijah, Noah and Isaac.
Friends may call from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 19, 2026, at Seals Funeral Home & Cremation Services, Fortville. A funeral to celebrate Phyllis’ life will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, February 20, 2026, at the funeral home. Burial will follow at Gravel Lawn Cemetery, Fortville.
