Earlesta Delores Williams, affectionately known as “Sharon” to her family and loved ones, was born on October 3, 1953, at Victoria Jubilee Hospital in Kingston, Jamaica, to Evelyn Johnson and Samuel Williams.

Her life was one marked by quiet strength, compassion, faith, responsibility, and an enduring love for the people who mattered most to her.

From an early age, Earlesta’s journey was shaped by family and perseverance. She began her education at Miss Ena Basic School in 1956, moved on to Winward Road Primary School in 1957, and later attended Vauxhall Secondary School, completing her schooling in 1963.

As a young woman, Earlesta lived on Slipe Road in Kingston. Later, she moved to Freedom, where she devoted herself to caring for her parents and her older siblings. Caring for family was not something she viewed as a burden; it was simply part of who she was.

She understood that love was more than words. Love meant showing up. It meant sacrifice. It meant being present when someone needed you. And throughout her life, Earlesta demonstrated that kind of love.

Earlesta was a devoted mother to two children.

Her first child, Carey Ximines, son of Errol Ximines, was born on February 1, 1979.

Her second child, Shantel Blye, daughter of Aston Blye, was born on December 27, 1992.

Motherhood became one of the defining chapters of Earlesta’s life. Her children were precious to her, and she wanted the best for both of them.

She carried the responsibilities of motherhood with love and determination, always wanting her children to have opportunities to grow, prosper, and build meaningful lives.

A New Chapter in Riversdale

Following the passing of her mother, Earlesta relocated to Riversdale in 2000, taking with her her father and her daughter, Shantel.

This move marked an important new chapter in her life.

It was in Riversdale that Earlesta began attending Riversdale Seventh-day Adventist Church, and in 2001, she was baptized.

Her relationship with God became increasingly important to her. Her faith became a source of strength, purpose, and comfort, and she found joy in encouraging others to know the God she had come to love.

After giving her life to Christ, Earlesta participated in mission walks, where she found purpose in encouraging others to surrender their lives to God.

Her favourite scripture was John 3:16, and it remained close to her heart throughout her life.

The words, “For God so loved the world…”, spoke to her understanding of God’s love and salvation. They also reflected the kind of love she tried to give to the people around her — a love expressed not only in words, but through care, sacrifice, and presence.

As the years passed, another chapter unfolded in the life of Earlesta’s family.

Her son, Carey, eventually migrated to the United States. In June 2016, he filed for his mother, opening the door for Earlesta to begin a new chapter of her own.

Earlesta subsequently migrated to Cleveland, Ohio, where she began life in a new country.

Leaving Jamaica meant leaving behind many of the familiar places and people that had shaped her life, but she carried her memories, her faith, and her love for her family with her.

Her migration represented another significant transition in a life that had already seen many changes — from Kingston to Freedom, from Freedom to Riversdale, and eventually from Jamaica to the United States.

Through every transition, however, the things that mattered most remained constant: her family, her faith, and her desire to see the people she loved do well.

Sadly, Earlesta would later experience the loss of her beloved son, Carey.

Losing a child is a pain that cannot easily be expressed in words. Carey was not simply her son; he was part of her life’s story, part of her identity as a mother, and part of the family she had loved and nurtured.

Although he was no longer here to share the later years of her life, his memory remained.

And today, as we remember Earlesta, we also remember the son she loved and lost, knowing that the bond between a mother and her child does not simply disappear with death.

Throughout her life, Earlesta was also a hardworking woman.

She worked at Vita Chemical Industry in Kingston, contributing through her work while continuing to carry the responsibilities of family life.

She understood the importance of providing, persevering, and doing what needed to be done.

Her life was not defined by grand gestures. Rather, it was built through everyday acts of responsibility, love, and determination.

That quiet strength was one of the qualities that made Earlesta who she was.

Earlesta was a loving grandmother to Treydon Smith, Xaiver Ximines, and Trenovia Smith.

Her children and grandchildren represented a continuation of her life and legacy. She wanted the best for them and took joy in knowing that they were growing, learning, and building lives of their own.

Among her most treasured joys were the simple moments spent connecting with her daughter.

Whenever she was home, Earlesta could spend hours on the telephone talking with Shantel throughout the day.

There did not always need to be a special reason for the call.

Sometimes, the conversation itself was enough.

For Shantel, hearing her mother’s voice was enough to brighten any day.

Those conversations, which may once have seemed like ordinary moments of everyday life, have now become priceless memories.

The sound of a mother’s voice.

The familiar conversations.

The laughter.

The stories.

The questions.

The comfort of knowing that someone you love is there.

These are the things that become even more precious when that person is no longer physically present.

And now, those memories will live on in Shantel’s heart and in the hearts of everyone who knew and loved Earlesta.

In her earlier years, Earlesta enjoyed playing volleyball and netball. She had an active spirit and found enjoyment in the simple pleasures of life.

As the years passed, her priorities changed. Her relationship with God became increasingly central, and she found joy in serving Him and encouraging others.

Earlesta was not someone who needed to be the loudest person in the room.

Her impact was often quieter.

It could be found in the way she cared for family.

In the sacrifices she made.

In the conversations she shared.

In the faith she carried.

In the encouragement she offered.

And in the desire she had to see her children and grandchildren have the best that life could offer.

She gave of herself in ways that were sometimes unseen.

But quiet love is still powerful love.

And Earlesta loved deeply.

Earlesta was preceded in death by her siblings Admira Williams, Clarence Williams, and Lloyd Williams.

She leaves to cherish her memory her siblings Pearl Williams-Grey, Metery Fransis, Errol Williams, and Roy Williams.

She leaves her daughter, Shantel Blye, and her grandchildren, Treydon Smith, Xaiver Ximines, and Trenovia Smith, along with extended family, friends, church family, and all those whose lives she touched throughout the years.

Though her son Carey predeceased her, his memory remains an important part of the family story and of the life she lived.

A Faith That Remains

Perhaps one of the greatest parts of Earlesta’s legacy is the faith she embraced.

John 3:16 was not simply a favourite Bible verse. It was a verse that she carried with her.

“For God so loved the world…”

Those words reminded her that God’s love extends beyond circumstances, beyond distance, beyond hardship, and ultimately beyond death.

Earlesta believed in that love.

She found her way to Christ.

She was baptized.

She participated in mission walks.

She encouraged others to give their lives to God.

And now, as those who loved her mourn her passing, that same faith can become a source of comfort.

We mourn because we loved her.

We feel the emptiness because her presence mattered.

We miss her because she was part of our lives.

But we can also give thanks.

Thanks for the years.

Thanks for the memories.

Thanks for the conversations.

Thanks for the laughter.

Thanks for the sacrifices.

Thanks for the love.

Thanks for the life of Earlesta Delores Williams.

A Legacy That Lives On

Earlesta’s physical presence is no longer with us, but the love she gave has not disappeared.

It lives in her daughter.

It lives in her grandchildren.

It lives in her siblings and extended family.

It lives in the people she encouraged.

It lives in the memories of those who knew her.

And it lives in the stories that will continue to be told about her.

Someone will remember her voice.

Someone will remember her phone calls.

Someone will remember her faith.

Someone will remember her kindness.

Someone will remember a conversation they once shared with her.

Someone will remember the way she cared.

And someone will simply miss knowing that Earlesta was somewhere in this world.

That is one of the mysteries of grief: the person is no longer physically present, yet the evidence of their life remains all around us.

In photographs.

In memories.

In family stories.

In the lives of their children.

In the faces of their grandchildren.

And in the hearts of those who were fortunate enough to know them.

Earlesta lived a life filled with different seasons. She knew love. She knew responsibility. She knew motherhood. She knew loss. She knew change. She knew faith.

And through it all, she kept going.

Until We Meet Again

Today, we do not say goodbye to Earlesta as though everything she was has disappeared.

Instead, we say goodbye to her physical presence while holding tightly to everything she left behind.

Her earthly journey has come to an end.

Her work here is done.

Her voice may now be silent, but the love she gave continues to speak.

Her phone calls may have ended, but the memories of those conversations remain.

Her physical presence may be gone, but the imprint of her life remains in the people she loved.

So, Earlesta — our beloved “Sharon” — rest peacefully.

You were a daughter.

A sister.

A mother.

A grandmother.

A friend.

A woman of faith.

A woman who cared deeply.

A woman who loved quietly but genuinely.

You gave what you could.

You cared for those who needed you.

You encouraged others to know God.

You loved your children.

You cherished your family.

And you left behind memories that death cannot erase.

May those who mourn you find comfort in knowing that your life mattered.

May your daughter and grandchildren continue to carry your love with them.

May your family find strength in one another.

And may the God you came to know and love hold your loved ones close in the days ahead.

For the Bible tells us:

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

That was the scripture you loved.

That was the faith you embraced.

And that is the promise we hold onto today.

Rest peacefully, Earlesta Delores Williams.

Your earthly journey is complete.

Your work here is done.

Your memory will remain.

Your love will continue through your family.

And you will never be forgotten.

Gone from our sight,
but never from our hearts.

Until we meet again, rest in the loving arms of your Saviour.

Sleep peacefully, Earlesta.

You are loved.
You are remembered.
And you will never be forgotten.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
 — John 3:16

Gone but not forgotten,
 a life so gently lived,
 a heart that gave in silence
 far more than it received.
 Rest now, dear Earlesta,
 your journey here is done —
 your love remains among us
 in daughter and in son.