William Watson

William M. Watson, Jr., of Kerrville, TX, passed away on Monday, February 25, 2019, at River Point Assisted Living in Kerrville. He was born on October 4, 1928 in Charlton, MA to William M. Watson, Sr. and Esther A. (King) Watson. He married Catherine A. (Geary) Watson on September 12, 1953 in Fall River, MA. They were blessed with four children.\r\n\r\nBill went to school in Charlton, MA and graduated from Charlton High School in 1946. Early in his career he worked in data processing in Boston, MA and Providence, RI. In the 1970's he transitioned into mutual fund management in the Boston area working at Studley Shupert, Inc., Ivy Fund, Inc., and Hingham Management, Inc. He retired in the early 1990's. Bill served in the National Guard attaining the rank of Master Sergeant in the 181st Infantry and was honorably discharged on June 21, 1952. Bill served on the leadership committee of the Boy Scouts of America, Troop 66 in Norwell, MA for several years. He also served as President of the Massachusetts Chapter of the Holiday Rambler Club. He moved to Kerrville, TX in 1998 and developed a small ranch to ride, breed, and train cutting horses. He competed as an Amateur with the National Cutting Horse Association (NCHA). He also owned horses that were Augusta NCHA Futurity finalists in 1999, 2001, and 2002.\r\n\r\nBill enjoyed driving, camping, skiing, and horseback riding on family vacations. He and his wife Catherine enjoyed traveling by motorhome across the US in their retirement. They often incorporated visits with family into their trips. Bill was an excellent storyteller and a car enthusiast. He always paired fond memories from his life with the car he owned at the time.\r\n\r\nBill was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Catherine, and his step-mother, Lucille (Tourtellotte-Gustafson) Watson.\r\n\r\nBill is survived by his four children: Elizabeth of Norwell, MA, Patricia (Bruce) Grindell of Halifax, MA, Bill (Connie) of Pompano Beach, FL, and Cathy (Jim) Laffan of Kerrville. He is survived by four sisters and one brother: Marjorie Easterbrook of Dudley, MA, Phyllis Maywhort of Sunset Beach, CA, Warren (Evelyn) of Marydel, DE, MaryLu (Bob) Clark of Roanoke, VA, and Nancy (Stephen) Cairns of Norway, ME. He is also survived by three grandchildren: Heather (Torry) Blanchard, Laura (Sean) Goss, and Christian (Erica) Grindell of Massachusetts, three\r\ngreat-grandchildren: John Grindell, Matthew Grindell, and Dahlia Goss of Massachusetts, and a step great-grandson: Anthony Fredette, of Massachusetts.\r\n\r\nIn lieu of flowers the family recommends memorial gifts to the Peterson Health Foundation, https://www.petersonhealth.com/about-peterson/foundation/, Horses for Heroes - New Mexico, Inc. https://www.horsesforheroes.org/donate.html , or Dementia Care Advocates of\r\nthe Hill Country, https://www.dietertcenter.org/dementia-care-advocates.html.\r\n\r\nThe family of Bill Watson wishes to express their gratitude to Dr. David Miloy and his staff, River Point Assisted Living management and staff, and the Peterson Hospice care team for all their attentiveness and care.\r\n