Luella "Lu" Williams

A lifetime of love, laughter, and legendary kindness came to a close on December 15, 2024, when Luella (Lu) Williams bid her final affectionate farewell. Born at the family home in Gravelton, Missouri on May 1, 1935 to the late Rev. Theodore C. Predoehl and Dorothea M. Predoehl (Blesse), Lu was a double blessing to the world, arriving alongside her twin sister, Lois. 

Growing up in the Missouri Ozarks during the Great Depression, Lu spent her first 11 years living what can only be described as a "rustic" lifestyle—without electricity, indoor plumbing, or the internet. As children of a Lutheran pastor, Lu and her four siblings were frequently uprooted, becoming experts at blooming wherever they were planted, making friends, adapting to change, and always finding the silver lining. 

By the time the family landed in Wall, South Dakota, Lu was in full stride. Not only was she the valedictorian of her high school class, but she also played clarinet in the marching band and juggled waitressing jobs to pay her own way through nursing school. 

A proud graduate of the Lutheran School of Nursing in St. Louis, Lu often said she became a nurse to follow in the footsteps of her favorite aunt, who was an Army nurse during WWII (but let’s be honest, the real draw was the cape). With Lois at her side, Lu began her nursing career at the University of Minnesota before moving on to St. Louis Children’s Hospital, where she eventually became Head Nurse on the pediatric floor. 

When a WashU medical student asked for the names of the patients in her care, Lu cleverly added her own name at the end of the list—setting the stage for her greatest adventure yet: meeting Dave Williams from Hobbs, NM. After tying the knot on December 27, 1961, the couple embarked on a whirlwind tour of the United States, living in Albuquerque, Gallup, Rocky Boy, Montana, and Seattle. 

It was in Seattle that their two boys were born, neither of whom had yet any notion of how blessed they were to have Lu and Dave as parents. In 1969, the Williams family moved back to New Mexico, eventually settling in the Valley along the Rio Grande across from San Ildefonso Pueblo. It was here that Lu flourished yet again—not only as a mom, but also as a nurse at the Los Alamos Medical Center, a soprano in the Los Alamos Choral Society and Bethlehem Lutheran Church choir, and a den mother for the Pojoaque Cub Scouts. While nursing was her first love, she dutifully learned the finer points of becoming an x-ray technologist and office manager when Dave needed her help in the radiology department. 

She reveled in hosting many a holiday gathering, serving up brisket that could make even vegetarians rethink their life choices. When out running errands, it was nearly impossible that she didn’t encounter someone she had made a personal connection with. She continued to pour love and care into her family, especially Dave, as he battled illness in his later years, until his passing in 2018. Gracefully relocating to Albuquerque in her final year of life to be closer to her sons, she remained a constant source of love and support. In addition to her parents, Lu was preceded in death by oldest brother Nelson Predoehl. She is survived by son David and wife Maggie (Geovanny and Alberto), son Kevin and wife Jessica (Greta and Isaac), twin sister Lois Ballas, older brother Martin Predoehl and younger brother Ted Predoehl. 

A service to celebrate her life will be held on Saturday, December 21, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 2390 North Road, Los Alamos, NM. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to a local foodbank or homeless shelter.