Margaret “Meg” Williams

Margaret “Meg” Williams of Raymond, Maine, died on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, at Maine Medical Center. Her family was with her to comfort her last hours.

Meg was born on February 23, 1956, in New Haven, CT, to the late Blaine W. Boxwell, Sr. and Lois Berndtson Boxwell, who soon moved to Woodmont, a borough of Milford, CT, for which Meg maintained a fondness all her life. She celebrated especially the Swedish heritage from her mother but the Irish heritage from her dad as well.

Meg attended Milford public schools and as a teen began music lessons, almost immediately gravitating to the organ. Later in high school she served as organist for the Woodmont Union Chapel (UCC).

While attending Boston University, Meg was organist for All Souls Parish (UU) in Braintree, MA. After graduation with a BA degree, Meg went on to Yale University Divinity School and the Institute of Sacred Music, graduating in 1981 with an MDiv. Meg’s project (“thesis”) at Yale was a study of the hymnody of George Herbert but she also busied herself as a teaching assistant, organist and choir director for the First Congregational Church (UCC) of West Haven, CT, and for a semester as interim deanery coordinator, subbing for the wife of a faculty member on sabbatical.

Her professional years in the church touched many. After briefly working as music secretary at St. Thomas Church in New York City, Meg joined the staff of First Church of Old Greenwich CT (UCC) as Director of Children’s Ministries. She was ordained by the Fairfield West Association of the United Church of Christ (UCC) in 1983. Following her work in Greenwich, she was organist/choir director at Dunbar Hill Church (UCC) in Hamden and then began what would be many years in several churches in Stratford, CT: Lordship Community Church (UCC); Stratford United Methodist Church, her longest tenure of 13 years “on the bench,” and lastly as Associate Pastor at the First Congregational Church (UCC), from which she retired as Co-Pastor in 2022.

During 2024, Meg served as co-interim organist/director of music (along with her husband) of State Street Church in Portland, ME. She answered calls to be a Sunday substitute pastor in several area churches and especially found joy in the congregation of Faith Lutheran Church in Windham, where she served on a once-a-month basis.

Meg also touched people in other notable ways. She worked as an HIV Risk Reduction Counsellor at the Greenwich Health Department in the early years of the AIDS epidemic and later as Chaplain for Bridgeport (CT) Council of Churches serving the State of CT Mental Health Unit in Bridgeport, CT, where she provided services with scripture, a homily, and hymns she played on the electronic keyboard she carted from floor to floor. Meg was also on call for several funeral homes in Stratford to perform services for families without a connection with a local religious group; she was well-liked for her ability to gain personal information from families and to personalize their service. She often incorporated parts of rites from traditions other than her own when it was meaningful to mourners in attendance.

As a member of several professional organizations, Meg sometimes serving in a named leadership role and at others working behind the scenes to further their cause. She was a “lifetime” member of the Greater Bridgeport Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, serving for decades as Chaplain and Board Member and more than one term as President. In 2023, the Chapter awarded her with a special recognition for her past service and an organ piece was commissioned in her honor.

She also served the Stratford Clergy Association for many years and was relied on there for her contributions to annual interfaith services, particularly the Holocaust Remembrance and Martin Luther King services. When President of the group, she was especially pleased to award Association scholarships to high school seniors. She also served her denomination in several roles, most notably as a member of the Committee on Ministry. She formed long friendships in all her pursuits.

Growing up steps from Long Island Sound, Meg loved the beach, water, and sailing her “sub-sunfish” (it was smaller, coming from Caldor’s). She sported an almost sunburned face at her wedding for having taken family members, one at a time, for a sail the day before. She planted and maintained flower gardens in CT that managed to have something blooming all the time from early season to late. She loved to travel and led travel groups to France and Italy—and hoped to travel more. She transferred her early interest in sailing to canoeing and kayaking every summer in Maine—her biggest disappointment this summer was being unable to get out on the lake. Meg was an exceptional cook and fed her family with a wonderful variety of foods including many from-scratch baked goods.

Lastly, she was taught to knit in high school by a couple of beloved aunts and soon mastered argyle socks and more. Most recently she has specialized in intricate patterns in hats, mittens, sweaters (she especially liked making baby sweaters for young friends’ new arrivals), and shawls. She won numerous ribbons for her knitting in the last two years at Maine fairs.

Meg would not want to be remembered for the health challenges she faced for decades; as her accomplishments show, she was much more interested in disregarding them and getting on with life. She did this partly by playing down herself and focusing on others. Many people have used the phrase “she was a light” and, indeed, Meg was one of the most positive people you would meet.

Meg leaves behind to mourn her husband of 44 years, John, and her sons Nick and Sam. She was a most caring and loving mother and spouse. She also leaves her brother Blaine Boxwell, Jr. and his wife, Robin Brady Boxwell, and brother-in-law Paul Williams and his wife, Laura Elliott Williams. Nephews and nieces are Blaine Boxwell III (Rachel), Justin Boxwell (Jessica), Jack Williams (Rian), and Grace Williams, and she had four grand-nieces.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11am on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at State Street Church, 159 State St. Portland, ME. The service will also be live-streamed, which will be available at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCK_ShPulILcmJgHWnw0V_4Q/live .

Burial has been at the convenience of the family.