Happy Birthday to you!

Meet 100 year old Josephine Williams – not your typical centenarian lady

Molly Bergesen

Jo Williams Saucerman will turn 100 on October 7, 2018. No small feat — but you wouldn’t expect anything less from this lively lady.

Here is a little background on this much-loved lady. Jo and her husband Bill moved to Sun Lakes in 1978. One of Jo’s passions was golf, and she was a frequent player at Sun Lakes 1 (the only golf game in town). She had her one and only hole-in-one on #11 at Sun Lakes 1. Jo was a charter member of the Palo Verde ladies golf group, played at Cottonwood and was very active in the Oakwood Niners from its beginning. Jo recalls the Palms course was the first 9 completed in Oakwood; the starter’s shack was on hole #8! In 1995, Jo won both the Developer’s Cup and State Medallion. In 2010, when Oakwood was sold to the homeowners, the Developer’s Cup was renamed the Jo Williams Championship. As her good friend Paula Ferguson states, “Jo was a mentor and a true student of the golf game.” Jo loved the game of golf and exemplified that by taking new members out for their first round, making sure they knew the rules and the etiquette of the game. Jo’s last game of golf was in 2013 when she played in Gearhart, OR, where her family had a summer home.

Jo’s first husband Bill was an Air Force pilot in WWII where he flew B17s. They were married 47 years and had four children (John, Carol, Shirley and Rob). Add to that she has eight grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren! Bill died in 1991. Jo met her second husband Carl here in Sun Lakes. He was a Pearl Harbor survivor. He passed in 2000.

Jo is definitely not your conventional 100-year-old. I would call her “spirited” with a definite sparkle in her eyes. Jo is a very active lady who loves to have fun and party. Jo loves sports, watching in person or on TV, is an avid Cardinals and Diamondbacks fan and attends Diamondback games as often as possible. In 2017, as part of her 99th birthday celebration, Jo attended a Diamondback’s game where she met legendary player Mark Grace and broadcaster Todd Williams — her picture was on the giant Jumbo Tron screen at the ballpark — such a thrill! Jo loves to knit and participates as a member of the Garden Singers at Ocotillo Gardens where she is now a resident.

Asked about her secret to her longevity, Jo replied, “Keep healthy, have fun and surround yourself with happy people.” Her many friends will gather on October 6 in Oakwood to celebrate her centennial! Knowing her, this will be an exciting affair!