Helen Marie Williams Morris Sumrall

Helen Marie Williams Morris Sumrall, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and friend, went to be with the Lord on Saturday, May 3, 2025, at the age of 98. She was born September 22, 1926, to Joseph Joshua Williams, Sr., and Frankie Fortenberry Williams. The youngest of four children, Helen Marie grew up in the nurturing atmosphere of small-town Kentwood, Louisiana, during the Great Depression and World War II. She lived with her family in the same house from the day she was born until she married, attending Kentwood schools where she flourished both inside and outside of the classroom. She was a majorette in the high school band and graduated as the salutatorian of her class. She scored highest on the freshman English Placement Test at Southeastern Louisiana College (now University), earning a full-paying scholarship. 

Helen was an active member of First Baptist Church of Kentwood and was involved in church-related activities from a young age. She was always assured that God would never leave her alone. When Helen went to work as a bookkeeper at J. Polk Morris & Sons, she met Leslie Harlon Morris who worked in his uncle’s store. She was captivated by his friendliness and thoughtfulness, and on May 4, 1947, Harlon and Helen were married in a small ceremony at their pastor’s home. Helen became a devoted wife and, later, a dedicated mother to their daughter Frankie. They moved in July 1956, to Bogalusa, where she served as a leader in church and in youth organizations. After Harlon passed away in September 1971, she was alone for several years until she met Marvin Ray Sumrall. They married on April 6, 1975, and enjoyed twenty-five years together, traveling throughout the U.S. and to destinations in Canada, Europe, and the Holy Land. After Marvin died in July 2000, she went to work part-time at Hallmark, finally retiring at age 86. 

Over the years, as her role changed from mother to grandmother, she shifted her focus to granddaughters Paige and April, becoming Granmoma to them and later GiGi (Great-Granmoma) to Patrick and Brooke. She attended their activities, sewed costumes, cooked, and always had an open door for their visits and sometimes longer stays. One of her last gifts to each of them was a hand-crocheted afghan. Until last summer, if you were walking past her house, you might find her sitting on her little stool while she worked in her flower bed or maybe you would see her pulling her wagon to the street with bags of leaves that she raked a little at a time. And if you smiled and waved, she would have remembered it forever. At ninety-seven years old, Helen still lived alone, worked in her flower beds, trimmed the hedges, kept house, balanced her checkbook, and cooked her meals. Until her ninety-seventh birthday, she drove wherever she needed to go, particularly to the library to quench her voracious reading appetite, to Walmart and to church. 

Over the years, her faith led her to actively serve in churches in every city where she lived, including Superior Avenue Baptist Church, Bogalusa; First Baptist Church, Maryville, Tennessee; and most recently, Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge. Helen’s faith sustained her, and she learned to say with Paul, “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” 

Helen is survived by her daughter, Frankie Morris Erwin and son-in-law Denny Erwin; granddaughters, Paige Erwin Riley and her husband Greg Riley; and Dr. April Erwin and her husband Scott D’Agostino; great-grandchildren, Patrick Riley and Brooke Riley; as well as several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Frankie Williams; her first husband, Harlon Morris, and second husband, Marvin Sumrall; her two brothers, Joseph Joshua “Joe” Williams, Jr., and wife Othell, and Stanley Frankie Williams; and her sister, Eleanor Elizabeth Williams Ledoux and husband Ernest Ledoux. 

Her funeral will be held at Istrouma Baptist Church, Baton Rouge, on Saturday, May 17, 2025, with visitation from 9:00 a.m. until services at 11:00 a.m., conducted by Rev. Ron Lambe. Graveside services, led by Richard “Rick” Ledoux, will follow in Woodland Cemetery, Kentwood. 

Pallbearers will be Greg Riley, Patrick Riley, Darryl Williams, Gerry Morris, Don Whatley, Larry Fussell, and Martin Burch. Honorary pallbearer will be Quintin Merrett, who became her special friend. Every morning, she sat at her window reading, and as Quintin left for school, he came to wave and say hello, on special occasions bringing flowers and gifts. 

Special thanks also go to Brandi Baker, RN, Pinnacle Hospice, whose faithful visits every Tuesday morning endeared her to the family. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made in her name to Send Relief, https://www.sendrelief.org, a collaboration between the International Mission Board and North American Mission Board, SBC, that responds to disasters and urgent needs at home and around the world.

Family and friends may sign the online guestbook or leave a personal note to the family at www.resthavenbatonrouge.com