Sadie Awofeso

The impactful chronicles of the life of Sadie Elise Williams-Awofeso began in Pascagoula, Mississippi on April 20, 1972 when she entered into the world as a precious newborn baby girl to her anxiously awaiting mother and father, Marion Denise and Anthony Franklin Williams. Sadie was a very happy baby with a contagious smile and an attention-grabbing giggle. During her toddler years, she was tenderly called “Lee Lee”. As she transitioned through the stages of her youth, she was affectionately referred to by family and friends as “Lisa”. Her personality was quickly recognized as one of kindness, vitality and ambition. Her sweet, kind spirit, which she maintained throughout the course of her life, was the welcoming trait that captured the heart of those in her presence.  

Sadie confessed Christ at an early age. Observing her mother’s intense and dedicated involvement in several ministries at Union Baptist Church influenced Sadie’s passion for spiritual commitment. She actively participated in Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, the Youth Department, and Choir until she relocated to attend college. Her Christian walk grew in leaps and bounds as she matured into an adult. She was not bashful in acknowledging that her salvation was secured and her relationship with God was personal and solid. After the onset of the pandemic, the online worship service became the gateway for Sadie to continue her faithful connection to Union Baptist Church through virtual worship.

Sadie received her formative education in the Pascagoula Municipal School District. She was part of the Pascagoula High School marching band and color guard. Her greatest attachment to Panther Land was her beloved class of 1991. As a proud graduate of Pascagoula High School, she maintained a close bond and an active communication link with her classmates. Education ranked high with Sadie. She firmly believed that when education is pursued and accomplished, it is a valuable resource that significantly contributes to the enhancement of one’s quality of life.  That mindset sparked her embarkment upon many academic undertakings. Following high school graduation in 1991, she continued her educational journey at Alcorn State University where she was a member of the choir. After two years of attendance there, she returned home upon the sudden, untimely, and tragic death of her devoted and loving dad, Donald Eugene Fox.  Following a period of grief and healing, Sadie resumed her educational quest by attending Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College. She relocated to Marietta, GA where she discovered and married the love of her life, Johnson Adebayo Awofeso. They became the proud parents of one daughter, Sade Denise Williams, and one son, Joseph Eugene Awofeso. Sadie exhibited the depth of her love and devotion to her mom and dad by giving each of her children their middle name (Denise and Eugene).

After the family relocated to Stafford, Virginia, Sadie reignited the academic torch by enrolling into Northern Virginia Community College where she received her Respiratory Therapy Degree and a Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Sciences from Old Dominion University in Norfolk, VA. Her acquired educational training and passion for the health care profession propelled her into a lucrative and promising career at Spotsylvania Regional Medical Center in Fredericksburg, VA, where she filled the role as a Respiratory Therapy Supervisor until her recent health battle.  

To have known Sadie was to love her.  She truly loved God and her family, and she was a people’s person! Sadie was broadly known for her big infectious smile and sweet, gentle personality. She was authentic and enjoyed life to the fullest. After living a fulfilled life saturated with godliness and profoundness, peaks and valleys, joys and sorrows, accolades and challenges, prosperity and struggles, health and sickness, and many other life’s victories and woes, Sadie experienced the manifestation of Hebrews 9:27 … it is appointed unto men once to die ….  On June 8, 2023, Sadie peacefully finished the course of her earthly life.

Preceding Sadie in death are her dad, Donald Eugene Fox; biological father, Anthony (Bulah) Williams; maternal grandparents, Leoda Turner and Jesse Lewis, Jr.; paternal grandparents, Sara Mae Williams and Willie (Carrie) Williams; maternal aunts, Melanie Walden and Star Martin; paternal uncle, Shawn Williams; and Godparents, Charles and Emma Wells..

Sadie leaves to forever cherish and embrace her lifetime of precious memories her devoted husband of 21years, Johnson Adebeyo Awofeso; daughter, Sade Denise Williams; son, Joseph Eugene Awofeso (all of Stafford, VA); mother, Marion Denise Fox (Gautier, MS); sister, Betty Ann (Jerry) Hopson (Meridian, MS); aunts, Lynette Davis (Pascagoula, MS), Cheryl Thomas, (Dallas, TX), Tammy Williams-Covan (Moss Point, MS ), Felicia Lockett (St. Petersburg, FL), Terri Copeland (St. Petersburg, FL), Vickie Riley (Valdosta, GA); uncles, Jesse (Katie) Lewis, III (Pascagoula, MS), Willie (Kimberly) Williams, (Moss Point, MS ), Maurice Fox (Valdosta, GA), Johnny (Sandra) Copeland (St. Petersburg, FL), Jeffery Copeland (St. Petersburg, FL), Jerome Copeland (St. Petersburg, FL); great uncles, Gary (Mary Ann) Manchester and Willie Manchester (both of New Orleans, LA), and Willie Hopson (Moss Point, MS); brothers-in-law, Dr. Durojaiye Awofeso, Ayodele Awofeso, Moses Awofeso, Babalola Awofeso, Segun Awofeso, and Sunday Awofeso (all of Lagos, Nigeria); sisters-in-law, Ibironke Ogunmaja and Abosede Onileyan (both of Lagos, Nigeria); nieces, Asia Hopson and Averi Hopson; nephew, Adrian Hopson, (all of Meridian, MS); Goddaughter, Tarencia Glaude (Pascagoula, MS); 3 Godbrothers and 6 Godsisters; special bonus son, Jairus O’Neal (Washington, DC); a multitude of loving first cousins and extended family members, and a host of devoted classmates, co-workers and friends. 

Mississippi Services are under the direction of 

Unity Funeral Home 

• 4900 Main Street
• Moss Point, Mississippi 39563
•  228-475-2538
•  228-475-2548