A granny for everyone

She is everybody’s favourite granny with her warm personality, heartfelt laugh and genuine kindness.

Born in America and from Norwegian decent, Patsy Williams came to South Africa with her family when she was three years old.

She has lived on her beloved North Coast for 50 years and has been a guiding hand for many people, even when at first she did not think she would ever find her calling.

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“I was the most uninspired child – I wasn’t good at school or sport, but I did sing and read a lot and I loved history. I remember when I was 15, I said to my dad that I don’t have any talent. He replied very wisely – not yet,” said Williams, who comes from a large family of religious leaders. Her father alone had 42 first cousins.

She had no idea that her natural gift would be unlocked by an impromptu pubic talk a couple of years later.

“When I was in my early twenties, I was asked to speak about something in front of a group of people one day in Amatikulu. I did and one of the ladies said ‘we now know who our new president will be’.”

That moment sparked a new path and saw Patsy becoming a local preacher in the early 1970’s, serving as a lay pastor in just about every Methodist church in KZN – quite a revolutionary career for a woman in those days.

“I have a direct link to God – I hear him. When he said go, I went. I always went to congregations as a Women’s Auxiliary member and wherever I went, I felt at home and welcome. I do however remember one particular Sunday at Umhlali Methodist Church many years ago when a family carrying their Bibles came to me after the service and told me that what I said was very nice, but that they do not believe in women preaching and will not be returning to the church,” said Williams with a spirited laugh.

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“The thing is, I don’t preach. I just talk about daily things and use stories to illustrate my point. I like to give practical, down to earth advice. I have gone through difficult times and have prayed about it and got through it, so I feel I have authority to speak to people about life because I have experienced it.”

Her other passion is children. She is the ultimate granny with 13 grandchildren and six great-grandchildren and counting.

“I have married my grandchildren and christened my great-grandchildren. I love it and they think it is cool,” said Williams who is the mother of four children.

Another claim to fame was that she opened the first play school in Darnall in 1970 called Patsy’s Play Centre.

“Women started working in the 70’s and one day a friend asked me if I would consider looking after her children so that she could go back to work. Word spread and in no time I had 30 children coming to play school. I took kids from the age of two, if they were potty trained. They loved coming to granny.”

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