Francis Joseph Williams Funeral Fund

Family and friends:

We are honored to share that we have a son! Our beautiful baby, Francis Joseph Williams, was born on 4/4/24 at 2:20pm, weighing 4lbs 2oz.

For many of you, it may be news that we were expecting. For others, you have been walking with us as we’ve traveled the hard road of prenatal diagnosis with Francis. As private people, we’ve not shared much about this experience publicly - as his life is too precious for social media, the experiences too difficult to share, and all of it simply too powerful to put into words.

But now that he is here, we find ourselves with the strength and desire to shout – behold, this is our son, with whom we are well pleased!

For much of the 36 weeks we had with Francis, we knew that he had a very severe form of skeletal dysplasia and was not likely not survive long after birth. Despite this devastating diagnosis, we so cherished the time we spent with him in the womb – eating our favorite foods, celebrating at friends’ weddings, sharing the best music and movies (he’s a big Dune fan), and relishing in the sweet kicks felt by Mom and Dad.

Just like he surprised us with early labor, he surprised us with how well he did after birth! Such an alert, squirmy, and cute baby - and made it in the 4lb club! Jackie did amazing throughout labor, and all of her and doctors’ efforts led to a safe, successful delivery, from which she is recovering very well.

We got to spend just over 6 beautiful hours with him before he peacefully passed away surrounded by people who love him. We are so grateful for the joyful time we got to spend caring for him, celebrating sacraments, sharing stories, making memories, and introducing him to his grandmas and aunt.

Francis's life has forever changed us, and we are so proud that he is our son. We thank God for the incredible honor of being his parents, welcoming him into this life, and being with him as he entered the next. We are so lucky to know the cutest saint in heaven <3

For any and all who are able to join us, we will be celebrating his life on Friday April 12th at Holy Comforter-St. Cyprian Roman Catholic Church (Washington DC) – visitation at 9am, Mass of Christian Burial at 10am, followed by a vehicle procession to Mount Olivet Cemetery for interment at 12pm (Washington DC). Reception at Hawk 'n' Dove from 1-3pm (329 Pennsylvania Avenue SE, Washington DC 20003).

We plan to use these funds to partially offset the cost of Francis's funeral expenses. Any extra funds will be donated to Be Not Afraid and Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, two organizations from which we received amazing support during and after Francis's life.