Lou (Williams) Wilkes

Mattie Lou Wilkes, aficionado of puzzles (jigsaw and crossword), avid reader, and film noir fan passed away on Tuesday, February 28, 2023. 

Her story began in Albany, Georgia, as the first-born child to Lamar Mayo Williams and Marshall Tillman Williams.  She spent her childhood years spinning yarns with her siblings - Betsy Williams Mobley and Mayo Williams, Jr. 

Miss Lou’s love of a good story continued during her years at Albany High School and deepened during her time at Wesleyan College for Women in Macon, Georgia.  One of Miss Lou’s favorite stories was of her fairytale time in the spotlight as Miss Citadel 1961. 

Miss Lou made a home for her husband (Gaston James Wilkes) and her three sons in Vidalia, Georgia. She filled the home with stories of far-away places, sweet snacks (especially Diet Dr. Pepper), and scenes captured on canvas.  She was preceded in death by a stepson, Doug Wilkes. 

A stickler for grammar and all that was proper, Miss Lou spent many an hour at a table in the Paul Anderson Youth Home schooling wayward young men on analogies and comma rules.  For over 30 years, Miss Lou tutored the members at the youth home to prepare them for success on the SAT and in their lives. 

She loved her family from afar: David Conner Collins, Jr. of Atlanta, Georgia, Andrew Lamar Collins (LeighAnne) of Edison, Georgia, and John Marshall Collins (Chanon) of Tifton, Georgia. 

Miss Lou was always a quick phone call away and filled the conversation with requests for updates on all of her grandchildren: David Conner Collins, III, Camden Marshall Collins, Andrew Thomas Collins, Caelan Lea Collins, Cailin Marie Collins, and Mary Mauldin Collins. She ended every call with a prayer and a reminder to “give my love to everyone.”

As we close this final chapter, we thank God for the gift of a mother, a prayer warrior, and a friend to those in need. 

A graveside service will be Friday morning March 3rd, at 11:00 at Pine Crest Cemetery with Kevin Williams officiating.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Paul Anderson Youth Home, PO  Box 525, Vidalia, GA 30475.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Lou (Williams) Wilkes, please visit our floral store.