Birgitte ‘Bee’ Williams of Yachats left her beloved Oregon coast on July 22, 2020 for Valhalla to join all good Vikings. She was a few days short of her 90th birthday.
The Oregon coast reminded her of her growing up on the west coast of her native Denmark. The people of the Oregon coast made her feel at home and part of an extended family. Her family is forever grateful to all her friends for welcoming her with open arms.
She was born Birgitte Jakobsen on July 26, 1930 in Kvaerndrup parish, Svendborg county, Denmark. She grew up on a dairy farm during World War II, which taught her hard work and a love for nature.
To see the world, she became a nurse and worked in Paris, New York and Chicago. She came to the United States in the mid-1950s. As a private nurse she cared for Hollywood stars, top government officials and royalty.
She married Gerald Williams of Chicago on Feb, 24, 1957 in Esbjerg, Denmark. They had three children – Patrick Williams of Pollock Pines, Calif.; Tom Williams of Eugene; and, Ingrid Salmon of Kirkland, Wash.
During her 50s she left their home in Chicago, recertified as a nurse and moved to Eugene to work at the hospital. She loved the work and quickly built lifelong friends among younger co-workers.
She rode her bike to work the swing shift returning home late at night only to rise early for a hike or to cross-country ski.
She built a house in Yachats in 1994 and moved there in 2010.
Her ashes will be spread where Starr Creek meets the Pacific Ocean. She requested no memorial service and recommends taking some time to enjoy nature and raise a glass in her memory.
Her family asks that you please think of her next time you get out to enjoy the natural beauty that she saw all around us. If it happens during the Oregon rain, well, it never stopped her.