Tonya Williams honours the remarkable legacy of her mother Korah Williams-Harrison
July 20, 2026
Millions of television viewers around the world know Tonya Williams as Dr. Olivia Barber Winters, the role on The Young and the Restless that made her an international television star.
As founder and executive director of the Reelworld Screen Institute and the Reelworld Film Festival, she has also reshaped opportunities for underrepresented Canadian filmmakers.
In the wake of her mother Korah Williams-Harrison’s passing on July 13 at the age of 96, those remarkable accomplishments have faded into the background. Instead, they have been eclipsed by deeply personal memories of the woman Williams called her greatest teacher, fiercest advocate and unwavering source of love.
An only child, Williams said her mother’s influence touched every part of her life.
“She was a strong, fiercely independent woman who was incredibly smart, a devout Christian with a no-nonsense sensibility,” she pointed out. “She always sought out the weak and fought for them, she pointed out injustice wherever she was and she cared deeply about people and never walked past a homeless person without giving them some money.”
The 2026 Governor General’s Performing Arts Award recipient credits Williams-Harrison with teaching her kindness, integrity, independence and financial responsibility long before those lessons became fashionable.
“She taught me the importance of kindness and showed me that a life dedicated to serving others is one of the greatest callings,” Williams said. “She instilled in me a strong sense of right and wrong, encouraged me to be strong and independent, and taught me the value of being financially responsible.”
Sister Peggy Phillips, niece Sheila Rose of Florida, Korah Williams-Harrison, nephew Cedric Evans from Jamaica and daughter Tonya Williams at Williams-Harrison's 81st birthday celebration in July 2011 (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
One of Williams-Harrison’s most remarkable gifts came when her daughter was just 18 years old.
Rather than buying luxuries, she purchased a rooming house for her daughter and taught her how to manage the property, collect rent and pay the bills.
“She did that because she wanted me always to have a roof over my head and to learn the value of making wise investments,” said the 1977 Miss Black Ontario pageant winner.
That practical wisdom extended throughout Williams’ upbringing. Rather than imposing her own ambitions, her mother patiently observed what naturally interested her daughter and invested in those passions.
“When I started banging on a friend’s piano, she signed me up,” Williams remembered. “No matter where we lived, in whatever country, she always purchased a piano for me. When I started playing tenor saxophone in high school, she bought me a sax. She didn’t spend money on frivolous things, but she would lavish her money on me if it were a learning experience.”
She believes that quiet encouragement gave her the confidence to pursue an acting career that eventually took her from Canada to international success.
“From the moment I was born, my mother watched me very closely,” noted Williams. “She looked for clues as to who I was and nurtured all the things that came naturally to me.”
The unconditional love Williams-Harrison provided became an emotional anchor that never wavered.
“She poured all her love and attention into me so that I never felt the need to look for that kind of love and attention from others,” Williams said. “That gave me the confidence just to live authentically and not worry who liked me and who didn’t because I knew without a doubt that my mother loved me no matter what I did.”
Even childhood disappointments became opportunities for reassurance.
“If I only got 50 percent, she celebrated me as if I got 100,” said Williams. “If I failed a course, she went to the school and told the teacher they weren’t doing a good job teaching me. When I got married, she sat my husband down and let him know in no uncertain terms that she would take my side no matter what happened in the marriage. She was loyal to a fault.”
Some of Williams’ fondest memories are wonderfully ordinary.
Growing up in Jamaica, her mother would collect her from kindergarten each afternoon before they headed to the beach to share a patty and an ice cream.
Williams spent four weeks every summer in Jamaica from age 12 to 18.
Some moments revealed both her mother’s courage and compassion.
When Williams’ kitten climbed a tall tree and refused to come down, Williams-Harrison climbed after it herself.
“I remember a lizard fell out of the tree and almost landed on my head,” Williams laughed. “Just as my mother almost reached the kitten, it climbed down into my arms.”
Williams-Harrison also made sure her daughter understood the realities of race and privilege from an early age.
After a classmate told Williams she was ‘bad because she was Black’, her mother patiently explained that prejudice was rooted in ignorance, not truth.
“She always gave me a good explanation,” Williams said. “She didn't just tell me what to think. She showed me facts that helped me understand.”
As a district nurse in Jamaica, Williams-Harrison regularly visited some of the island’s poorest communities, often taking her daughter with her.
“My mother wanted me not to see a difference,” Williams explained. “She wanted me to judge people by who they were, not by what they had.”
She also treasures the stories her mother shared about her own remarkable life.
The eighth of 11 children born in rural Jamaica, Williams-Harrison earned the childhood nickname ‘Manager’ after fearlessly insisting she could tame a wild horse at just three years old.
She later trained as a nurse in England, sending much of her pay home to support her own mother and siblings while adapting to life in a new country.
“When my parents divorced, that was devastating to my mother,” Williams recalled. “But she found the strength to keep pushing forward. She focused on what must be done and didn’t dwell on what she couldn’t change.”
Tonya Williams & mom Korah Williams-Harrison at the 2004 Harry Jerome Awards where the award-winning actress was honoured (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
Even after Williams became an internationally recognized actress, her mother’s influence remained constant.
She admits struggling with the public attention that accompanied her years on The Young and the Restless.
“I am an introvert,” said Williams who, in 2017, was the recipient of the Special Jury Award of Distinction presented to a woman who is a ground breaker and has demonstrated a commitment to the screen-based industry. “Being on the show exacerbated social anxiety disorder for me. My mother's presence always had a calming effect.”
Williams-Harrison also encouraged her daughter to follow the same sound financial principles that had served her so well, giving her the confidence to invest in real estate herself.
Looking back, Williams believes her mother’s greatest achievement was not measured by wealth or status, but by the countless lives she quietly improved.
“She personified what a wise person is,” she said. “She always gave good, solid, practical advice. She was a natural nurturer and people felt heard when they were around her…I am also her legacy. My successes are her successes because she poured so much of herself into me.”
Publicist Kevin Pennant fondly remembers Williams-Harrison as a woman of extraordinary warmth, wisdom and unwavering faith.
Publicist Kevin Pennant with Korah Williams-Harrison and award-winning filmmaker Alison Duke at the inaugural Reelworld Film Festival in April 2001 (Photo by Ron Fanfair)
What began as a brief visit to her home in the early 1990s blossomed into a lasting friendship built around heartfelt conversations at her dining room table.
“She had a remarkable gift for making everyone feel seen, encouraged and loved,” he said. “She was a straight shooter with a generous heart, and her kindness, artistry and deep commitment to family and community left an unforgettable mark on everyone fortunate enough to know her.”
Among the many lessons that remain with Williams are three sayings she will carry for the rest of her life.
“Take care of the pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves, there's more than one way to skin a cat, a reminder that persistence always finds another path and her favourite, ‘Just pray on it’,” added Williams who was presented with a University of the West Indies Toronto Benefit Gala Luminary Award last April.
After a distinguished career as a midwife in the Labour and Delivery Unit at Oshawa General Hospital, Williams-Harrison retired early at the age of 55. At the time of her retirement, she owned a home in Oshawa and Toronto and four investment properties.
Following the death in 1987 of her second husband, whom she had married five years earlier, she experienced a profound spiritual renewal, became a born-again Christian and devoted countless hours to volunteering at the Yonge Street Mission.
In the years that followed, Williams-Harrison studied Catholicism and embraced the quieter pursuits that had long brought her joy, including gardening, knitting, crocheting, doll collecting, poetry and painting.
Korah Williams-Harrison’s creativity knew no boundaries. After writing the poem Alone in 1979, she created a companion painting, Me Sitting Alone, in 1990, bringing the poem's emotions vividly to life through paint.
Through her poetry and artwork, she found meaningful ways to express her faith, reflect on life’s journey and celebrate the beauty she saw in the world around her.
“Had the times being different, she would have had an artistic career and would have been successful,” said Williams. “Many people have tried to buy her paintings, but she considered them her children and found it hard to part with them.”
A celebration of Williams-Harrison life will be held on Saturday, August 1, at McDougall & Brown Funeral Home, 2900 Kingston Rd., Scarborough. Visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m., followed immediately by the funeral service.
Flowers are welcome, or donations may be made in her memory to the University of the West Indies at http://www.uwi.edu/alumnionline/donate.
