HARRIET WILLIAMS

Harriet Williams peacefully entered into rest on Monday, July 14, 2025, at the Infinite Hope assisted living facility in Glendale, Arizona, her daughters and grandchildren at her bedside. Harriet was 75 years old. She was born on Saturday, May 20, 1950, in San Carlos, Arizona, to Loretta (Russell) McIntosh and Arthur Williams. She was raised by her maternal grandfather, John Russell.

Harriet attended the Theodore Roosevelt Boarding School in Fort Apache, Arizona. After 8th grade she transferred to the Stewart Indian Boarding School in Stewart, Nevada, graduating in 1969. She went on to complete her studies at Lamson Business College in Phoenix and began a long career with the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She thoroughly enjoyed her work and spent 52 years with the BIA. She did not retire from government service due to her illness and failing health.

In her younger years, she participated in many fun runs and marathons, including the Pat Tillman Run and the Rock‑and‑Roll Arizona Half‑Marathon. A 23‑mile run from Globe to San Carlos & Peridot was her last fun run and one of her proudest accomplishments. In addition to her active lifestyle, she also enjoyed donating her time cooking for wakes and funerals, and she loved traveling with the ladies of the Peridot Baptist Church to harvest acorns each summer. Each spring, when the hillsides of San Carlos and Peridot burst with poppies, she took her daughters to admire the landscape’s beauty and capture it through photographs.

Harriet was a beautiful soul, always willing to help friends and relatives at ceremonies. A wonderful cook, she loved to make tortillas and frybread. She enjoyed sitting and talking with friends and relatives, sharing stories, and listening to Apache songs. She was also fascinated with Apache names; she loved to research the history and meaning of every name she came across.

Though shy and reserved at times, Harriet was a loyal friend, a caring neighbor, and a devoted mother and grandmother. All who knew her will feel the empty space she leaves behind, yet they will always carry with them the memory of her warmth, her kindness, and her love.

She is survived by her daughters; Debbie W. Freeman (Paul Sr.) and Kristal Gail Williams; grandchildren, Paul Freeman Jr. (Summer 文秀), Alyse Freeman, and Maison Gail Williams; siblings, Marietta Williams, Larson Williams, Barbara June McIntosh, Carlos McIntosh Jr., and Peter Coles; and several cousins, nieces, and nephews.