Felicia Ananda Williams

Felicia Ananda Williams passed away peacefully Dec. 9 in Mount Vernon, Wash., with her friends and family by her side. Felicia fought a long battle with dementia and Sundowners disease, which forced her to leave Whidbey Island in 2007.

Born Nov. 12, 1937, in Spokane to Gladys and George Weigle and known until 1988 as Faye Joan Weigle, she changed her name to Felicia Ananda Williams to reflect her love of the Hispanic culture. From 1981, Felicia was a resident of Whidbey Island, where she will be remembered as a gifted and enthusiastic Spanish teacher at South Whidbey High School. She lived most of those years on Useless Bay near her older sister Shirley Cross. She was well-known for her hiking and kayaking, cheerful voice and love of the Island.

Her five years in the Panama Canal Zone (1969-75) changed her life. There, her love of the Spanish language and culture blossomed. She became a Spanish teacher after earning her master’s degree. She took a one-year sabbatical leave from teaching in the mid-1980s to travel alone through Central and South America with little more than a backpack, often sharing bus rides with chickens. Sadly, she never found time to publish her diary of her adventures. At every opportunity, she returned to Latin America to practice her Spanish and mix with the people.

In her later years, she taught Spanish at her home and part time at South Whidbey High School. She will be remembered for her love of life, her affection and generosity toward her students, her hearty laugh and her delight in exploring new things.

There will be a memorial gathering in the summer at Artist Point near Mt. Baker arranged by the family. This memorial will be dependent upon the road condition, and will most likely be in August. Please email rcpeterson1@frontier.com if you would like to attend this memorial service.