Founder of historic Atlanta restaurant celebrates her 108th birthday
Leila Williams is celebrating her 108th birthday this week. (Glenwood Health and Rehabilitation Center)
ATLANTA - An Atlanta woman is celebrating a major milestone this week - her 108th birthday.
Mrs. Leila Williams was born Nov. 14, 1912, and now lives at Glenwood Health and Rehabilitation Center.
Williams and her late husband Charlie owned the historic diner Leila's Dinette in southwest Atlanta from the late 1940s to the 80s.
Leila's Dinette had quite the list of customers including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr, Rep. John Lewis, and former President Jimmy Carter.
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When she wasn’t serving customers, she was serving it up for her neighbors. Family members recounted how she would make big pots of soup with cornbread and feed her neighbors.
They said generosity is William’s nature.
In past years, people from all over have sent Williams birthday cards. She said she's received more than 10,000 birthday wishes.
Due to COVID-19, she's not able to celebrate her big day with visitors, so her nursing center is planning a big birthday parade in her honor on Friday.
From all of us here at FOX 5, happy birthday Mrs. Williams!
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