Florence Willey, 90, Jamestown, ND passed away Wednesday, July 29, 2026 and is already missed dearly by her loved ones. As a grandchild of hers, I wanted to create a tribute to really honor her legacy and what she meant to all of us grandchildren. She was married to our grandfather Kenneth Willey on November 6, 1955 in Jamestown. He was the sweetest grandpa anyone could ever ask for and they welcomed each grandchild into their home with open arms and a whole lot of patience. They both loved spending time with their grandkids, camping, and playing cards. Grandma was very passionate about her crafts, she was always quilting or crocheting and made beautiful blankets, pillows, doilies and more. You could also find her putting puzzles together, and letting us help even with the risk of losing a piece! She also loved to randomly pull out her accordian and start a jam session in the living room, and the occasional organ playing as well.

There are 14 of us grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Before listing all of us, a special shout out goes to our auntie Mary who has also loved and cared for us all and made grandma’s house even more fun than it already was! Her and grandma were quite the pair. There was nothing funnier than hearing stories from my cousins how they would be shopping at Walmart and they would run into Grandma and Mary and they were wearing matching outfits. And now everyone else; Children to Myron: Lindsey Willey (Jayden, Blakelee, & Kenslee), Chelsey Carter (Rhys), Austen Willey (Bella, Avery, & Stella), Emma Laxdal (Violet). Children to Marlene: Heather Zimney (Maddie), Dylon Zimney, Kyle Partlow, Abbey Davis (James & Adaline). Children to Mark: Brianna Willey, Melissa Willey, Kristen Hoggarth (Liam & Isla). Child to Mike: Ian Willey (Aryanna, Jayden, Shayla). Children to Mitch: Tyler Willey, Dustin Willey. Grandma also adored Heather’s close friend Chris Perry, she would light up when Chris would come over to visit or when Heather would call Chris on Facetime for her. She was a great judge of character.

Florence Willey was a source of love, warmth, and unwavering kindness to everyone fortunate enough to know her. She was also stubborn, strong-willed, goofy and you might even hear her spouting off some German cuss words from time to time. She truly did have a remarkable gift for making us kids feel welcome, valued, and safe in her home. Her presence brought comfort and her laughter brought joy and we enjoyed every moment at their house, even her waving out the dining room window when we were heading home. Their house was a safe haven where we could be ourselves. We had countless sleepovers overstaying our welcome but they were the ones begging us to stay another night, just grab a nighty from the drawer! We would stay up late and wake up early to spend as much time with each other as possible and for some reason every moment at their house felt magical.

There are so many nostalgic traditions, food, items, phrases, silly moments that remind us of their home so the easiest thing to do is just make a random list!

• Malted chocolate shakes (the ovaltine! lol)

• Caramel rolls

• PJ’s making ice cream soup!

• Waiting until baywatch comes on late and grandma commenting on the cute guys

• The grandkid birthday board

• Tiny spoons!

• Spying on the neighbors with binoculars

• The police scanner going off

• That green carpet and making pallets on the floor to sleep on

• The toy closet

• Totinos pizza

• Cards, cards, and more cards - Slurch!!

• Cinnamon sugar toast

• Lite-brites

• Coloring books and that barbie stencil board where you could make different outfits and roll the crayons across the stencil!

• Playing barbies

• Running through the sprinkler

• Going to garage sales and thrift shopping

• Walking to the grocery store late at night for treats!

• Trying to sneak into the creepy basement when grandma isn’t looking

• Pistachio fruit salad

Though she will be deeply missed, the love and laughter she gave will continue to live on in the hearts of her family and friends. We know that she has reunited with Grandpa and that it was a long 20 years for her to wait but picturing them reuniting is the most beautiful image.