Mabel C

Williamson

Mabel (Elna) Clark Williamson

May 2, 1930 — July 27, 2026

Mabel (Elna) Clark Williamson, a beloved daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend, was called home on July 27, 2026, while residing in Englewood, New Jersey.

Mabel was born Eleanor Clark (fondly called Elna) in Englewood, New Jersey, on May 2, 1930, to Lula Mae Akridge Clark of Apalachee, Georgia, and Aaron Clark of Plymouth, North Carolina. Mabel, along with her two sisters, Elnora Smith (deceased) and Betty Gilchrist, carried with them the family culture, traditions, and routines instilled in them by their parents.

Mabel attended the Englewood Public Schools, beginning her education at Lincoln School and graduating from Dwight Morrow High School. She went on to attend Fairleigh Dickinson University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts.

In 1949, Mabel was joined in holy matrimony to Herbert Hoover Williamson (deceased). The couple was blessed with three children: Myrna Lynn Williamson Taylor, Jeffrey Scott Williamson (deceased), and Phillip Martin Williamson.

Mabel championed her community and cared deeply for the children of Englewood. She volunteered extensively in the school system before joining the Englewood Public School staff. Mabel worked as a teacher's aide at Cleveland Elementary School, now McCloud Elementary School, and after more than a decade, she served the students of Janis Dismus Middle School. She retired in 1994 after 28 years of devoted service to the children of the Englewood Public Schools.

Mabel was a lifelong member of Ebenezer Baptist Church of Englewood, New Jersey, where she served faithfully as a choir member and visited members of the church convalescing at Englewood Hospital.

Mabel was an avid reader of both fiction and non-fiction literature, and she was a captivating and engaging storyteller. She also had a great love for arts and crafts, and she found joy working with her grandchildren — and, in earlier years, with children throughout the Englewood community — on countless sewing, knitting, crocheting, and basket-weaving projects. She made quilts for her grandchildren and showed selected quilts at various public events. Many of her baskets were even sought after for purchase. She enjoyed learning to swim at the YMCA in Hackensack and at the Englewood Municipal Pool.

Mabel leaves to cherish her memory and continue celebrating her life, love, and guidance her daughter, Myrna Lynn Williamson Taylor; her son, Phillip Martin Williamson (Maricelda); four grandchildren, Stacey Camille Taylor-Thomas (David), Phillip Martin Williamson II, Jazmín Makeyla Williamson, and Alexa Nicole Clark Williamson; four great-grandchildren, Andre Banton, Jr., David Thomas, Jr., Angel Thomas, and Jewel Thomas; her sister, Betty Clark Gilchrist (Leon); nieces, Sharon Baker (Donald), Lisa Lewis, Robin Smith, DeVaughn Eghomwanre (Kent), Leah Smith; nephews, Leon Vaughn Gilchrist Jr., Eric Gilchrist, Stephen Lewis, Leon (Trey) Vaughn Gilchrist III, and Aaron Smith; cousins, Vera Jackson, Debbie Hickerson, Gail Jackson, and Wendy Jackson; and a host of relatives and friends.

Rest in peace, Mabel. Your legacy of love, faith, and service to your community and family will live on in the hearts of all who knew you.