Bellevue Mayor Charlie Cleves declared July 9 “Mary Jane Williamson Day” in honor of Williamson, who will celebrate her 101st birthday on July 26, 2025.
Williamson was unable to attend, although family said she would be home watching. Many members of her family were on hand to accept the honor for her and to share a happy birthday message with council and community members.
Williamson was born in Cincinnati and spent her childhood there. In fact, she experienced the 1937 flood in the city and was rescued by boat. She attended Woodward High School. After graduating, she married her husband Louis, who served as a sergeant in the US Army during WWII. She and her husband moved to Bellevue in 1955.
The couple remained in Bellevue, where they raised two daughters, Gloria, born in 1944, and Victoria, born in 1946. While her daughters were in school, Williamson worked full time at Kenner’s until her retirement after 23 years of service. Her husband passed away at the age of 62, and she has remained in Bellevue.
In addition to her two daughters, she has eight grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren.
Reading the proclamation, Cleves said “Mary has lived a long life, living through the Great Depression, the rise of Hoovervilles, World War II, the Korean War, the Cold War, Civil Rights Movement, Women’s Rights Movement, the New Deal, the rise of the Space Race, the first man on the moon, and the unprecedented technological advancements; and, still in her youth at 101, Mary cherishes the Vet’s Carnival, and enjoys fishing at her family farm. Her secret to longevity? ‘Never look back, stay in the present, and think about the future.’”