Donald Watson

Donald E. Watson Donald Ellwyn Watson of Neodesha, Kansas, went home to his Lord and Savior on Monday, October 15, 2007 after a full life of almost 93 years. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Thursday, October 18, 2007, at the First Christian Church under the direction of Penwell-Gabel Loran Fawcett Chapel. Reverend Robert Agee and Pastor DeWayne Prosser will officiate. Interment will be in Neodesha Cemetery. The son of Theo and Amanda Volkman Watson, he was born November 27, 1914, on the family farm east of Neodesha. He attended country schools and later graduated from Neodesha High School in 1932. Don worked for W.J. Small and drove the delivery truck for his sisters business known as Rays Bakery before moving to Detroit to work in the auto industry where he studied to become a skilled electrician. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, he joined the US Army and served in the South Pacific Theater in New Guinea and the Philippines where he earned the Bronze Star for valor. He was honorably discharged as a staff sergeant at the end of the war. He was united in marriage to the love of his wife, Ruth Gayle Eflin in 1946. They moved to Kansas City and then back to Neodesha. After returning to Neodesha, he was employed at the Standard Oil Refinery for 17 years until it closed. He then worked at the Army Ammunitions Plant and Adventureline in Parson, KS, until his retirement. His wife preceded him in death in 2004. After retiring, Don and his friend Otto Augustin spent many years doing wiring and other electrical jobs and assorted work for those in need, most of which was done no charge. Gifted with a wonderful singing voice, Don was often called upon to sing for funerals, weddings and other occasions and could be heard just about everywhere he happened to be. As a loving father and husband, he was also available for hikes, fishing, hunting, Boy Scouts, Little League, vacations and spending time with his wife and family. He was a lifelong member of the First Christian Church. He loved the fall and took his wife, daughter and her best friend on trips to Branson at that time of the year. Of the many wonderful qualities Don was endowed with, his legacy is that he would help anybody he could, anytime, anyplace. He was a war hero who wouldnt harm a fly and as kind and humble as they come and will be sorely and sadly missed by his family and friends. Don was saved at an old-time revival meeting as a young boy and served the Lord faithfully and selflessly at the First Christian Church in Neodesha all his life. He is survived by a son, Barry Watson of Neodesha; on daughter, Ronda Quinn and her husband Randy of McLouth, KS; five grandchildren; and five great-grandchildren. In addition to his wife, he is preceded in death by his parents, four brothers, four sisters and an infant son, Ricky. Memorial contributions may be made to the First Christian Church and may be left at the funeral home.