Brenda Dianne Simmons Williams, 69, of Henderson passed away Nov. 4, 2023, at her home. Funeral services were 2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, at Shackelford Funeral Directors – Crook Avenue Chapel with Caleb Wray officiating. Burial followed at Sweetlips Cemetery. The family received friends from noon until 2 p.m. service time on Monday.
She was born in Gibson County April 15, 1954, and grew up in Dickson, the daughter of Minnie Lee Bell Simmons Franklin and the late James Daniel Simmons. She graduated from Dickson High School in 1971. She worked for Burton Building Products.
She married Lou Williams on Dec. 13, 1983. They moved to the Sweetlips Community in 1990 and purchased Sweetlips Store in 2003 and owned and operated it until it closed. She also helped family and friends with tax preparation. She was a self-published author, writing eight books all in a series called “Southern Railway
She was a well-rounded woman with various talents. She loved her family dearly.
She is survived by her mother, Minnie Franklin of Dickson; her husband, Lou Williams; daughter, Christie (Jerry) Newsom of Henderson; three stepsons, Louis (Brenda) Williams, Jr. of McEwen, Eddie (Jennie) Williams of Michie and Dennis Williams of Henderson; stepdaughter, Debbie (Mark) Patterson of McEwen; two sisters, Linda (Wayne) Simmons Chambers of Dickson and Sheila (Gary) Simmons Green of Centerville; five grandchildren, Brittany (Matt) Guinn, Hannah (Riley) Carter, Eli Newsom, Kyle (Katie) Newsom and Kelby (Katie) Newsom; and seven great-grandchildren, Leiah, Madelynn, and Scarlet Guinn, Bryce and Sutton Carter and Gentry and Anistyn Newsom.
She was preceded in death by her father, James Daniel (JD) Simmons, and brother, James Danny Simmons.
