Refused Chemotherapy : Kim Williams, Homespun Radio Commentator, Dies

Kim Williams, whose homespun advice on topics ranging from food to immortality made her a singular favorite on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered,” has died of the cancer that finally forced her off the air last month.

She was 62 and died in her sleep at her home here Wednesday, refusing the chemotherapy that doctors had said could prolong her life.

In a July 12 interview, Williams said she had written her will, organized her papers and unfinished manuscripts and given away possessions.

“I am prepared to die,” she said then. “My body, my mind, my spirit are nicely together saying we desire you to pass on to the next class of consciousness.”

‘In Peace, Not Pieces’ Mrs. Williams was known to NPR listeners for comments about such things as marriage, how to usher spring in and how to forage for usable items in the alleys of her hometown.

Her commentary had been carried on “All Things Considered” for 10 1/2 years. Her popularity had made her the longest-running guest commentator on NPR last July 16 when she said in her final broadcast that she was going home “to die in peace, not in pieces.”

In one of two earlier interviews with the New Yorker magazine she said her basic philosophy was that “there are certain things that you just should do.”

“In the spring you should eat a dandelion salad. And, starting in July, you have to try and have huckleberry days. Late-afternoon huckleberrying is a grand thing to do.”

Handbook for Backpackers This year she appeared twice on NBC’s “Late Night with David Letterman” to talk about her latest and fourth book, “Kim Williams’ Book of Uncommon Sense: A Practical Guide With 10 Rules For Nearly Everything.” She also was the author of “Eating Wild Plants,” a handbook for backpackers that even included recipes for the flora found along the nation’s trails.

Mrs. Williams learned in late May that she had ovarian cancer. She had surgery in June, but doctors could not remove all of the cancer, and it was then she said publicly that she did not want chemotherapy or to be kept alive by extraordinary means.

She taught classes on edible wild plants at the University of Montana and earned her master’s degree in interdisciplinary studies from the school. She graduated from Cornell University in 1944.

Survivors include her husband, Melvin, who asked that friends make donations, if they wish, to the Kim Williams Graduate Fellowship fund at the University of Montana where a memorial service is scheduled for Aug. 14.