Uncrowned Community Builders

Rosalee Manuel Williamsââ?¬â?¢ compassion for family is well known throughout the state of Oklahoma. Her unfailing dedication and passion for her own family has allowed her to use her gifts and talent to serve others in their time of need. Rosalee was born on September 19, 1942 in Seminole County. Being the oldest of six siblings had its own way of thrusting Rosalee into a leadership role. Her mother, Roxie Davis Manuel, maternal grandmother, Annie Keesee Davis, and paternal grandmother, Ida Williams Manuel helped Rosalee to handle all the responsibilities as the oldest in her family. These great women taught Rosalee that God is first and taking care of the family comes before anything else. Her mother was a servant of the Lord Jesus Christ and taught all her children to fear and revere God above all things. Rosalee often told even her own children, ââ?¬Å?Our parents insisted that we respect our elderly grandparent, thatââ?¬â?¢s what you doââ?¬. Rosalee considers her parents and grandparents as the ââ?¬Å?glue that held the family togetherââ?¬â?¢.

Rosalee spent her adolescent years gaining wisdom from her grandmothers in Lima, Oklahoma. Shortly after her 14th birthday, her family departed Lima for Oklahoma City in 1956. Her teenage years were spent learning from the faculty of Moon Jr. High School and Douglas Senior High School, where Rosalee graduated in 1961. In an effort to continue her education, she attended classes at Oklahoma City Community College and obtained a certificate in the Womenââ?¬â?¢s Development Program. Rosalee also attended classes at Rose State College working on a degree in Communications. After retiring from a twenty year career at Tinker Air Force Base, she took various courses at Moore-Norman Vocational Center and Fostes Estes Technology Centers in Oklahoma City. Once retiring she pursued her life-long dream of becoming a bakery chef. Her quest took her to Phoenix, Arizona in December of 2004 to Scottsdaleââ?¬â?¢s Culinary Institute. In July of 2005, Rosalee became a graduate of Le Cordon Blue Patisserie and Baking School at age 62.

She is well known for her deep knowledge of ancestry research techniques, and her skills in obtaining family history records from different governmental agencies throughout the United States. On one occasion Rosaleeââ?¬â?¢s granddaughter, Megan was looking for genealogical information about the family for a class project; however, she was unable to answer her granddaughterââ?¬â?¢s questions. Rosalee began to research her family ancestry and discovered to her amazement that her family was on ââ?¬Ë?The Trail of Tearsââ?¬ in the removal the Seminoles from Florida. To gain this information she visited cemeteries, historical societies, genealogy workshops and historical archives in Oklahoma and Arkansas. Because of her tireless work she put into this project, Rosalee discovered that none of her immediate family had enrolled into the Seminole Nation as Freedmen. From that point she collaborated with the Seminole Nation and ascertained the information needed to enroll her entire family. This was an extremely difficult task due to the fact that everyone in the family had to have records of birth certificates dating back to their ancestry in Florida to qualify for enrollment.

Mrs. Williams is recognized by many as a liaison in assisting others with genealogical research. Through birth certificates, death certificates, family history, and burial records she has assisted many families in their quest to find their family history. Rosalee has cataloged numerous cemeteriesââ?¬â?¢ records for Seminole Freedmen. She has also been a leader in the effort to return these cemeteries to their original beauty for all generations to enjoy. Rosalee, along with others, has spent tireless hours identifying and cleaning up old grave sites over the past ten years. These cemeteries were forgotten and even lost for many years. Yet, through her efforts these cemeteries are now returning to the families in which they belong. The Seminole Freedmen owes Rosalee Manuel Williams a thank you for her devotion and dedication in preserving their heritage.

She grew up having a deep compassion for cooking which she learned from her mother and grandmothers. Since graduating from Scottsdaleââ?¬â?¢s Culinary Institute, Rosalee along with her children started ââ?¬Å?Lutriciaââ?¬â?¢s Fried Pies Companyââ?¬ where the fried pies are the flagship product of her baked goods. As an adolescent, she learned the skill of preparing fried pies by watching her grandmothersââ?¬â?¢ cook. For the last five years, Lutriciaââ?¬â?¢s Fried Pies Co. has been a feast at the annual DC and Shelby Minerââ?¬â?¢s ââ?¬Å?Dust Till Dawn Blues Festivalââ?¬ in Rentlesville, Oklahoma. In the Oklahoma City area, Lutriciaââ?¬â?¢s Fried Pie Company is located inside Dabblers Mini Mall in Del City, Oklahoma.

Rosalee Manuel Williams is married to Henry Williams and is the mother of one son and two daughters. She has seven grandchildren and two great grandchildren who call her ââ?¬Å?Mama Roseââ?¬. Rosalee and her husband attend First Southern Baptist Church of Del City.