Rubye & Helen Williams during WWII. Helen served in Woman's Army-Air Corp (WAAC)

Williams, Margaret Helen

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Bozo’s BBQ was her work, hobby
by James Dowd

Margaret Helen Williams | former co-owner of Bozo’s Hot Pit Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Mason, had the barbecue business in her blood.

“Her hobby was work and she loved being at Bozo’s,” said niece Dorothy Cottam.

Miss Williams died Wednesday at Appling Wood Health Care Center in Memphis. She was 86.

Graveside services will be today at 11 a.m. at Charleston Cemetery. Maley-Yarbrough Funeral Home in Covington has charge.

Thomas Jefferson ‘Bozo’ Williams founded the restaurant in 1923. Following his death in 1935, four of his children, including Miss Williams, became co-owners of the restaurant.

The establishment was sold to Jeff Thompson, a great-nephew in 1988. Bozo’s, about 35 miles northeast of Memphis, remains a popular eating spot for Mid-Southerners.

Miss Williams worked for a while as a secretary in Memphis, but Bozo’s was in her blood and she spent much of her adult life running the restaurant, Cottam said.

“She managed the place, but she didn’t stop there,” Cottam said. “She’s work in the kitchen or on the cutting board or wait tables, whatever it took. She did everything there.”

Aunt Iris, Aunt Dorris, Aunt Rubye, Aunt Helen, and Uncle Allen in Mason, Tennessee.
Uncle Allen, Aunt Rubye, Aunt Helen, Mama Fannie, and Aunt Iris

Miss Williams was so fond of Bozo’s, Cottam said, that she dined almost exclusively on the restaurant’s fare.

“She ate barbecue every single day of her life,” Cottam said. “She never got tired of it.”

Described as kind and generous, Miss Williams was a popular figure in Mason, Cottam said. Always quick to help those in need, she developed a reputation for a big heart.

Rubye & Helen Williams during WWII. Helen served in Woman's Army-Air Corp (WAAC)
Rubye & Helen Williams during WWII. Helen served in Woman’s Army-Air Corp (WAAC)

“She thought of everyone else before herself and she always treated customers as if they were guests in her home,” Cottam said. “She made sure all the waitresses acted that way, too. She believed in quality food and quality service and that’s what people came to expect from Bozo’s.”

A sports enthusiast, Miss Williams loved the Memphis Chicks, the New York Giants and University of Tennessee football. She also enjoyed spending time with her family and would close the restaurant the first two weeks in September every year so the family could vacation together.

“She was simply a wonderful person,” Cottam said. “Anyone who knew her would say that.”

Miss Williams was a World War II Women’s Air Corps veteran and a member of Mason United Methodist Church. The family requests that any memorials be sent to the church.

— James Dowd: 529-2737

[Margaret Helen Williams; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 12 Mar 2004; Pg 3]

Margaret Helen Williams; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 12 Mar 2004; Pg 3
Margaret Helen Williams; The Commercial Appeal; Memphis, Tenn; 12 Mar 2004; Pg 17

Bozo Williams Family

Father: Thomas Jefferson ‘Bozo’ Williams (1876-1935)
Mother: Fannie Cotton Richardson Williams – Mama Fannie (1876-1960)

Siblings:

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