‘She always wanted the best’ — longtime Fayetteville newswoman Lorry Williams has died

Posted

Lorraine “Lorry” Williams, the first woman to serve as executive editor of The Fayetteville Observer and a career journalist, died Tuesday morning.

Williams, 59, had battled with breast cancer.

Her friends and colleagues remember her as a tough but fair editor who made reporters better — one who cared about her community and understood the importance of delivering local news. 

Beth Hutson, news director for the Observer, said the newspaper family was “deeply grieving today.”

“Lorry and I worked closely together when she was the executive editor of The Fayetteville Observer, and she was one of the most passionate, dedicated journalists I’ve ever known,” Hutson said. “I learned a great deal from her, and I’m one of many fortunate enough to be able to say that.”

full story