It’s with much sadness that we share the news that long time PHG member Ladella Williams passed away on Sunday, June 30.
Ladella was very active in the fiber community in Portland and more broadly in the northwest. Her name made its first appearance in the PHG directory in 1971, and was a constant presence for the rest of her life. She served on the board of the Portland Handweavers Guild for many years, most recently as ANWG rep, and before that as rentals chair, exhibits chair, and Outreach Director.
Comments have been enabled to allow members and other friends to leave a remembrance. Please use the form below to share your memories of Ladalla.
I’ll really miss LaDella. She was always there to help, even with her hearing disability. We often roomed together at conferences. She had so much energy for her age. She’s someone that I always admired.
Betty Davenport
I’m grateful to have known Ladella. She was one of the first friendly faces who welcomed me to PHG. Always a smile, always in service to the group.
Thank you Ladella, fly high!
I knew Ladella for a good twenty years or more. I live in Ashland, OR and belong to the Saturday Handweavers Guild. Despite her profound hearing loss, she was aways very friendly, smiled when you said hello, and always offered to help.
Ladella was one of the first people I met when I joined PHG – always welcoming and inclusive. I enjoyed setting up PHG displays with her at OFFF as well as assisting her with the Koran weaving group. It was easy to forget she had a hearing disability, as she was an extraordinary lip reader. I’ll miss her.
When I think of PHG I think of Ladella. Her involvement over the years was relentless! I always appreciated her historical knowledge and her connections beyond PHG: WeGO, ANWG, Complex Weavers, and HGA. And that doesn’t touch her technical skills and knowledge about Weaving! I feel fortunate to have known her!
Ladella, mentored which community she engaged, her presence was always authentic, in the group or one on one. Her giving heart, always touched you, Thank you Ladella for Being who you are !
When the Oregon Flock & Fiber Festival was in Canby, Ladella would always set up a display so the Portland Handweavers Guild was represented at the Festival. She was a great promoter of PHG and weaving, and eager to share her passion. As an individual she was an inspiration in how she dealt with the challenge of her hearing -she did not let it limit or define her.
Once when having lunch she amazed me when she asked if the waiter had a foreign accent. I said he did and she explained she could tell by how he formed his words. She was amazing!
LaDella was such an extraordinary woman. It was an honor to know her, not just as an excellent weaver, but as a lovely human. The world gained a lot for having her in it. She will be greatly missed.
One of the things about Ladella that always struck me was how many people she knew. Of course she knew the folks in the Portland guild, like Linda Hendrickson and Betty Davenport, and Robyn Spady, who’s not too far away. And yes, she knew Daryl Lancaster, though she’s by no means local. But she even knew one of my husband Billy’s coworkers! When I asked how they knew each other it turned out they were both in the bead society.
Sometimes I think she knew everyone.
Ladella was truly unique. Her energy in participating in so many organizations was amazing. She was part of our informal weaving study group for a number of years and although she was not bringing samples she always had something interesting to contribute. She will be missed. Ladella, RIP.
I gained new appreciation for Ladella when she told me about going to Salem on numerous occasions in the 60’s and 70’s to fight for the rights of folks with hearing impairments. That woman was a force to be reckoned with!
I can hardly think of the Portland Handweavers Guild without Ladella. She was an inspiration to many and we all benefited from her depth of weaving knowledge and her willingness to share it. There is hardly anything in the Guild’s many processes that does not show Ladella’s touch. Her cheerful smile, eagerness to keep learning, and willingness to share and participate in the many activities of the Guild are things we should all hold dear and try to emulate. Thank you, Ladella. You will be missed.
I cannot imagine PHG without LaDella! She absolutely did not let her hearing loss define her. She was so knowledgeable and energetic about weaving. She understood the complexities of weaving like no other. No matter where we bumped into each other – even after I was no longer a PHG member – she always had a smile and bit of conversation to share with me. My condolences to her friends and family.
always kind and generous in sharing her great knowledge
I met Ladella through my involvement in ANWG when she was a Guild Rep. and could always look forward to a good conversation with stories about weaving and her other talents. She had designs published in an older Complex Weavers publication. I have the complete CD but not the print version. I hope someone can fill in that information for this thread. The world will miss her easy laugh and generous nature.
I’m from B.C. I met Ladella through ANWG nearly 30 years ago. It’s hard to imagine an ANWG meeting or conference without her. She will be missed by many from all over the ANWG area.
Ladella was so welcoming to new guild members and filled so many roles. It was great for new members to have a instant connection to the guild, which I know she extended to visitors and new members when they joined. She knew so much about the weaving world and the history of weaving in the Pacific Northwest. On a personal level, it was fun to have someone to connect with about kumihimo braiding and to text with about weaving and life. I appreciated her authenticity and will miss her so much.
Ladella was one of the first, and most welcoming, PHG members when I first joined the guild. I noticed that throughout the years. She loved weaving. learning, sharing her knowledge, and meeting/encouraging everyone she met. Her dedication to PHG, Complex Weavers, ANWG and more was amazing, so was her energy! I’m grateful to have known Ladella. My deepest sympathies to Amy and family. You took wonderful care of her in her last years.
I will miss Ladella’s smile and bright eyes not to mention her love of weavers and their weaving. Whenever we met she gave me a heartwarming hug and always asked how I was. I know her spark will burn on.