RALEIGH — Sarah Alwood Williams lost a decade-long battle with lupus on March 28, 2013. She passed peacefully surrounded by her family.

Sarah is survived by her husband, Nelson Williams; her sons, Sam (Toni), David and Patrick; and her granddaughter, Olivia, all of Raleigh, N.C.; her parents, Robert and Frances Alwood, of Suffolk, Va.; her brothers, Jack (Claudia) Alwood, of New Port Richey, Fla., and David (Nancy) Alwood, of Midlothian, Va.; and sister, Jennie (Bud) Zehmer, of Hickory, N.C.; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and cousins. She’s also survived by her mother-in-law, Nell Williams, of Suffolk, Va., and her husband’s siblings and their families.

Sarah is a 1979 graduate of Suffolk High School, and a 1982 graduate of Mary Washington University, receiving a Bachelor of Science in applied mathematics. She interned at the Naval Surface Weapons Center in Dahlgren, Va., and worked as a cryptanalyst for the National Security Agency in Fort Meade, Md. After moving to Raleigh, N.C., in 1993, she worked on numerous EPA contracts for OAO and Computer Sciences Corporation. Most recently, she worked as a senior move manager with Here to Home Inc.

A visitation was held for friends and family at Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary’s St. in Raleigh, on Saturday, March 30. There will be a memorial service to celebrate Sarah’s life at the Suffolk Presbyterian Church in Suffolk, Va., on Sunday, April 14 at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in her memory to the Lupus Foundation of America, North Carolina Chapter, 4530 Park Road, Suite 302, Charlotte, NC 28209.

Condolences may be made through www.parrfuneralhome.com.