Authors in Residence series Grace Williamston—
the spirit of Aloha

at Touchmark at Mt. Bachelor Village, Bend, OR

Island Girl

In the Hawaiian language, Aloha means affection, love, peace, compassion, and mercy. The Aloha Spirit is a well-known reference to the attitude of friendly acceptance for which the Hawaiian Islands are so famous. Born and raised on the island of Kauai, Hawaii, Grace Williamston embodies that spirit.

Not one to keep a good story to herself, Grace started writing a memoir of her life, Love at Both Ends of the Rainbow, after her first husband, Josh Bons, died of cancer in 1978. She didn’t finish the book until many years later, as it evolved to include even more stories of love and Aloha.

Grace moved to Honolulu after high school to study culinary arts. While there, she met a handsome soldier at church one day, and love blossomed. “I told him that my parents didn’t want their daughters to go with soldiers, because, at that time, soldiers had a bad name in Hawaii.” That was all Josh needed to hear. “He wanted me, so he got out of the Army! We were married a year-and-a-half later.”

Grace, Josh, and their two children moved to the mainland just prior to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. After spending several years in Southern California, she and Josh decided to retire in Oregon. “We’d been to Oregon before and loved it,” she says. “We went to visit a friend in LaPine, and as soon as we hit Bend, both Josh and I said, ‘This is where we’re going to retire!’ I’ve been here ever since.”

Help through hospice

Grace found great fulfillment in retirement through volunteering with the local hospice, including serving as its president for two years. When her husband succumbed to cancer in 1978, she became even more involved in hospice work and began work on Love on Both Sides of the Rainbow. “I always wrote poems and plays for church, and I had a desire to write a memoir of our life,” she explains.

Grace continued volunteering and working on her memoir over the next several years. “And then, lo and behold, along came my knight in shining armor!” She remembers the day she met Homer “Willy” Williamston. “This fellow came to my house one day and asked for hospice care for his wife, who was dying of cancer.” Grace provided care for Willy’s wife, and after her death, the two developed a deep friendship. Two years later, they were married and began travelling the world together.

Finishing her story

Upon marrying Willy, Grace put her memoir away in a drawer and didn’t think about it for several years. “One day I came home from shopping, and he had found it and read it. I said, “I didn’t give you permission to read my story!” He replied, “It sounded so good, I wanted you to put me in it!” The part about Josh was just about finished, so I decided to write about Willy and me and our travels,” she explains.

After 14 years of marriage, Grace lost Willy to cancer. She completed her memoir, and in 2005, it was published in Bend with a printing of 500 copies.

In addition to being a talented writer, Grace is also a gourmet cook. She has always loved entertaining large groups—sometimes 50 people at a time. She also enjoys painting in oils (Two of her pieces are on display at Touchmark.), singing, and ballroom dancing.

Love at Both Ends of the Rainbow is available for purchase at the Touchmark gift shop.