Geline Bowman Williams, remembered as the founding mother of the state pro-life movement and a leader in the national pro-life movement, passed away peacefully Sunday, Jan. 12, at the age of 100. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Mary’s, Richmond, Jan. 16.
Geline and her twin brother, Jay Killian Bowman, were born Feb. 27, 1924, to Geline MacDonald Bowman and Jacob Killian Bowman. Her brother, a U.S. Army Air Corps Lieutenant, was killed after being shot down during an Allied bombing raid over Germany in January 1945.
Geline married Alexander Hutcheson Williams, Jr., in 1943. They were both among the founders of the Virginia Society for Human Life in 1967, the first state pro-life organization in the country, and she led that organization for many years. A passionate advocate of the right to life for the unborn, disabled, and elderly, Geline also served as board chairman of the National Right to Life Committee for 34 years.
In 1985, Pope Saint John Paul II awarded Geline the Benemerenti Medal, an honor given for service to the Church.
Geline was a lifelong Richmonder and a parishioner of St. Bridget, Richmond. She was elected to Richmond City Council in 1984 and served for 10 years, including as mayor of Richmond from 1988-1990. Gov. George Allen appointed her to the Virginia Commission on Local Government, where she served from 1996-2006. She also served on many boards, including Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Instructive Visiting Nurse Association, and Christian Children’s Fund.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband in December 1996. She is survived by her five children: Alexander Williams III, Jay Williams, Geline Williams, Gina Urban, and Anne Coupe; 12 grandchildren, and six great-grandchildren.
Read more about Geline Williams in the March 4, 2024 issue of The Catholic Virginian.