Pauline Jean (Rife) Williams

Pauline Jean (Rife) Williams passed away on Saturday, March 7, 2026, in Wooster, Ohio, after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease. Born on October 12, 1932, in a small house built by her father just north of Peru, Indiana, she was the daughter of Paul B. Rife and Jennie Mae (Glassburn) Rife.

From an early age, Pauline embraced life with joy and creativity. She spent her childhood playing in the creek and on the hill behind her family home with cousins and neighbors. In Peru, known as Circus City, she delighted in emulating acrobats on a trapeze her father built in the backyard, often dressed in costumes given to her by the performers. In winter, she and her cousins sold hot chocolate to neighbors tobogganing down their hill. Money was tight, so as a teenager she worked to pay for her own clothes, learned to sew, and joined the high school band, playing the flute. She took great pride in becoming the first female student band director in Peru High School history.

Shortly after graduation, Pauline married Harry Williams on January 28, 1951. Their life together was one of frequent moves, with Pauline living in more than twenty homes across multiple states as Harry’s career with the railroad and later RR Donnelley took the family from Virginia to Indiana, Ohio, Illinois, Virginia again, and Tennessee before returning to Lafayette, Indiana. An exceptionally organized and efficient homemaker, she managed a growing household with grace, assigning chores and packing for each new move while raising their five children. After Harry’s death, she settled in Wooster, Ohio, where she remained until her passing.

Pauline was deeply proud of her family and welcomed everyone into her home with warmth and generosity. She treated every new in-law as her own and was always ready to help with new grandchildren, traveling to assist daughters and daughters-in-law after births. She especially cherished gathering the extended family, hosting around thirty relatives each summer and Christmas for a week of cooking, baking, organized activities, and shared memories. Through her words and example, she instilled in her children and grandchildren the values of manners, grace, humor, empathy, humility, hard work, responsibility, and a love of reading. She will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched.

Pauline was preceded in death by her husband Harry, her parents, her brother Eldon Rife, her sister Helen Rife Baldwin, and a grandson, Morgan Wolfford. She is survived by her five children, Mitchell Williams and wife Donna of Rowlett, Texas; David Williams and wife Beth of Morris, Illinois; Beth Williams Wolfford and husband Skip of Culpeper, Virginia; Alec Williams and wife Jeanne of Wooster, Ohio; and Kerry Williams and wife Tami of Findlay, Ohio, along with her many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.