Patricia Zimmermann Williams entered the Church Triumphant on December 24, 2025, a month before celebrating her 93rd birthday. She passed peacefully in Morristown Memorial Hospital after a short illness.

Patricia Ann was born on January 21, 1933 to Hazel and Herman Zimmermann and was raised in Clifton, NJ. She and her two older sisters, Lois and Barbara, graduated from Clifton High School. The family spent the summers in the idyllic town of Trumansburg, NY on their farm - Breezy Acres, loving to spend time in Lake Cayuga or at Taughannock Falls. They also spent time with family in Green Pond, NJ.

Patti headed to Elmira College, at the time an all-women's college, to major in business. She had a wonderful 3+ years there, but ended up finishing her degree at nearby Fairleigh Dickinson University. Meanwhile, she continued to be active at the First Presbyterian Church of Passaic, where her life changed at a young people's social when she met J. Wayman Williams, Jr. After a short courtship, they were married on September 9. 1955.

Their first home was an apartment while they built, with the help of the GI Bill, a new home in Glen Rock, NJ. It was there that they raised their two sons, James Wayman III (Jay), born in 1958, and Jeffrey Bruce, born in 1960. Patti was active in both the Junior Women's Club and the Garden Club, as well as the Ridgewood Presbyterian Church.

In 1968, Wayman's job moved and the family moved to the center of Basking Ridge, NJ, so that Patti, who did not drive, would be able to walk to the Presbyterian Church. She was very involved in the day-to-day work of the church, as she landed a part-time job as the church secretary, which she did for many years. She also was the secretary for the Board of Deacons for over 30 years.

Soon after they moved to Basking Ridge, they built a pool and volleyball court in the backyard, and it was not uncommon for Patti to provide drinks and snacks to a number of the neighborhood kids who seemed to spend most of their afternoons at the Rankin Avenue home, playing sports or frolicking in the pool. An active member of the Somerset Hills Garden Club, she was always in charge of the large vegetable garden in the "back forty". She also kept all the books in the house, and when Wayman created his own company, acted as the CFO and administrative assistant for him.

Once the kids moved out, Patti loved to travel with Wayman, first on a number of international business trips with his engineering friends and their wives, seeing beautiful countrysides while looking at bridges, and also to many wonderful U.S. locations. In later years, she was often accompanied by her sisters, as they enjoyed spending time together, and then also with Jay's and Jeff's families.

Patti also hosted a number of Thanksgiving gatherings of 30 or more, but had to give that up in her 80's. She and Wayman moved across town in 2019 to Fellowship Village, where she knew many of the residents, a number of fellow congregants of the Presbyterian Church, who she leaned on when Wayman passed in 2020.

In addition to her husband of 64 years, Patti is pre-deceased by her parents and two sisters, Lois Schneider and Barbara Hassert. She is survived by her son Jay, his wife Melanie, and their children, James IV (Jimmy) and Tricia, and Jeff, his wife Susan, and two sons Adam (Catherine) and Mitch (Erin). She is also survived by her beloved great grandsons - William, Owen, and Michael - as well as a number of wonderful nieces and nephews.

Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 11 AM at the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1 East Oak Street, Basking Ridge, NJ 07920. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in her name to the Basking Ridge Presbyterian Church, 1 E. Oak St., Basking Ridge, NJ 07920.