Williams Family History, 6th Generation

April 2022

Bette Ann (Williams) Soekland (1932-2003)

Bette Ann (WILLIAMS) SOEKLAND 141411. Bette Ann Williams was born on May 23, 1932, in Oakland, Alameda County, California. She married Donald Lee Soekland, Sr. on April 23, 1950, in Calistoga, Napa County. They had three children while living in Montebello, Los Angeles County, California.

Hitchcock Children
	Name	Birth	Death	Age
1414111.	Patti Joyce Soekland	10 Oct 1951	13 May 2005	(53)
1414112.	Gordon Soekland	--	--	--
1414113.	Donald Soekland, Jr.	--	--	--

Bette and Don were married at the Calistoga Community Church on Sunday, April 23, 1950. Don's brother Cliff served as best man and a year later Cliff married Bette Ann's cousin, Nancy Ruth Fisher. Don, in turn, served as best man to his brother's wedding.

“Bette Ann Williams Weds Don Soekland”^{[News 1950]}

“The altar in the Calistoga Community Church was banked with dogwood and bridal wreath last Sunday afternoon when Miss Bette Ann Williams and Donald Lee Soekland, both of Calistoga, stood before it to exchange their marriage vows. The ceremony was read at 2 o'clock by the Rev. Thomas H. Mee, pastor of the church.”

“Mrs. W. C. Wiggins was at the electric organ for the traditional wedding prelude and postlude.”

“Given in marriage by her uncle, E. C. Williams of Richmond, the bride was attired in a white waffle pique summer dress, which she wore with white sandals and gloves, and a white garden hat. Her bouquet was of white sweet peas with a yellow orchid center.”

“Attending the bride as bridesmaid was a schoolmate, Miss Pauline Dabbs, who wore pink cotton with white accessories, and carried a bouquet of lavender sweet peas with a white orchid center.”

“Best man was Cliff Soekland, a brother of the bridegroom, and acting as ushers were Bill Thomas and Ray Fechter Jr., both cousins of the bride.”

“The bride's mother, Mrs. Elsie Williams of Calistoga, witnessed her daughter's wedding wearing a navy two-piece costume, accented with white accessories and a corsage of gardenias.”

“Mrs. Soekland wore a dress of aqua, white accessories, and a corsage of pink camellias.”

“After the ceremony the couple received their friends in the parlors of the church, where they cut a two-tiered ice cream cake made by Ross Reeder. The buffet refreshments included this and other cakes, coffee, and punch.”

“The bride, only daughter of Elsie Williams of Calistoga, is a senior at Calistoga High School. She will finish her course there, receiving her diploma in June.”

“Young Soekland, a son of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur H. Soekland of Franz Valley, graduated from Woodland High School with the class of '49. He is now employed by Calistoga Metal Products on Myrtledale Road.”

“For the present, the newlyweds are making their home with the bride's grandmother, Mrs. C. E. Williams.”

After their marriage, the newlyweds moved 440 miles south to Montebello, Los Angeles County, where they lived through most of the 1950s.

In 1959 the Soekland family moved to Santa Rosa, Sonoma County, California, where they owned a restaurant off of Old Redwood Highway called the “Chuck Away Cafe”. Don worked for Optical Coating Laboratory, Inc. (OCLI) as a production planner for 27 years before retiring to 15948 Bay View Drive in Brookings, Oregon.^{[Obit 2006]}

Bette and Don returned to Santa Rosa in 2003 to be closer to family and to better manage their health concerns.^{[Obit 2006]}

Bette Ann (Williams) Soekland died on June 2, 2003, in Santa Rosa, at the age of 71 years. She was buried on June 10 in Santa Rosa Memorial Park.^[Grave]

Bette Ann's daughter, Patti Joyce (Soekland Graves) Weir died two years later after a struggle with cancer and seven months later Donald Lee Soekland, Sr. passed away at Santa Rosa Memorial Hospital on New Years Day, 2006. Don was buried with Bette Ann on January 6.^{[Obit 2006, Grave]}