Southwestern Seminary alumna celebrates 100th birthday

Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary alumna Johnye Godley Williams will celebrate her 100th birthday March 3 while she continues to serve the Lord by singing and serving others.

Williams earned her Master of Religious Education in 1953 and has since spent her life in faithful ministry service, primarily as a preschool minister, but also in numerous other roles. Her daughter, Ruth Cobb, describes her mother as a “cheerleader for Southwestern,” often encouraging others to pursue theological education on Seminary Hill.

“My mom is such a wonderful, godly woman and had been quite an example to other staff members who have come into her life through the years,” Cobb says. “My mom has always encouraged others to go to Southwestern Seminary.”

Williams did not grow up attending church, but accepted Christ at age 17 during a revival service in Brazito, New Mexico. From that moment, she became more involved in church, and after volunteering in ministry and missions for some time, she answered the call to pursue theological education and moved to Fort Worth in the fall of 1951 to attend Southwestern Seminary, graduating two years later.

“Southwestern Seminary gave me the foundation of my ministry,” Williams says. “I left Southwestern feeling very prepared. My heart grew so much at the seminary, I didn’t know if my body could contain it. The seminary also gave me connections later on in my life with people I met in seminary.”

Immediately following her graduation from Southwestern, Williams began her ministry at College Hills Baptist Church in San Angelo, Texas, where she met her husband, Dan Moody Williams. They married in 1955 and then returned to Fort Worth for him to pursue theological education at Southwestern. He completed his education in 1962 and went on to pastor a church until his death in 1963.

Williams served in preschool ministry at First Baptist Church in San Benito, Texas, and the Shiloh Terrace Baptist Church. Before moving to Grand Prairie in 2016, she was a member of Plymouth Park Baptist Church in Irving, Texas, for 41 years, spending the first 17 years there as the minister of preschool education.

Cobb says her mother has devoted decades of service to the church as a gifted minister who led with care and humility. 

“She was willing and open to do anything that was asked of her, even if she didn’t feel knowledgeable,” Cobb says. “She knew the Lord would equip her, and it made quite an impression on me. She used the people in the congregations who were gifted in certain areas. She was excellent at delegating responsibilities to people in the preschool area.”

Williams remains physically active and continues to serve her church and community. She is a member of the Silver Serenaders of Texas Choir, and participates in crochet projects, providing hats for Texas Oncology patients as well as baby blankets and household items.

Friends and family will celebrate Williams via a Zoom Party on March 7, where they will share photos, memories, and birthday cards.