Individual Details
William Russell "Bill" Watts
(October 12, 1924 - April 13, 1998)
"It certainly hasn't been Brother Bill's best year. He had heart by-pass surgery, a cataract removed, broke his leg in a fall when the dog wrapped a chain around his legs, and had a kidney removed. Bill's wife, Gerry, had to stay well to care for him. They moved from Fayetteville, Arkansas in July to Boise, Idaho to be near daughter, Cyndy, her husband, Pete and seven year old grandson, Sam." (Margaret Ann Herring, 1996.)
"The pathology report on Bill's cancerous kidney tumor came back that it was totally encapsulated. Even a later check showed the same results. However, one full year later, a growth popped out on his chest. It was renal cancer. So the kidney cancer had leaked! In January, they told him he had 2 - 10 months to live. He lasted 3 months, dying April 13. By then he even had 3 cancers in his brain, rendering him almost totally blind. On Easter Sunday, he was quite restless and kept urging our Doug to turn on the Cardinal baseball game. You may remember what an ardent Cardinal fan he was and how he teased me about being a Cub fan. He finally said, "Well find some baseball game. I don't care if it's even the Cubs!" Finally, his beloved Cardinals were on. Exhausted, he fell asleep during the game and never awoke. Death came gently for him the next morning and with all his family around him. We miss him terribly, but he left us with many, many happy memories. If you knew him, I'm sure you, also, have many great memories. He was truly special! We hope you will cherish your memories as we do ours. Sincerely, Gerry and Family." (Letter from Gerry Watts, 3010 Starview Drive, Boise, Idaho 83712, to Judia and Ralph Terry, June 9, 1998.)
"The pathology report on Bill's cancerous kidney tumor came back that it was totally encapsulated. Even a later check showed the same results. However, one full year later, a growth popped out on his chest. It was renal cancer. So the kidney cancer had leaked! In January, they told him he had 2 - 10 months to live. He lasted 3 months, dying April 13. By then he even had 3 cancers in his brain, rendering him almost totally blind. On Easter Sunday, he was quite restless and kept urging our Doug to turn on the Cardinal baseball game. You may remember what an ardent Cardinal fan he was and how he teased me about being a Cub fan. He finally said, "Well find some baseball game. I don't care if it's even the Cubs!" Finally, his beloved Cardinals were on. Exhausted, he fell asleep during the game and never awoke. Death came gently for him the next morning and with all his family around him. We miss him terribly, but he left us with many, many happy memories. If you knew him, I'm sure you, also, have many great memories. He was truly special! We hope you will cherish your memories as we do ours. Sincerely, Gerry and Family." (Letter from Gerry Watts, 3010 Starview Drive, Boise, Idaho 83712, to Judia and Ralph Terry, June 9, 1998.)
Events
| Birth | October 12, 1924 | Elsberry, Lincoln County, Missouri | |||
| Marriage | September 16, 1947 | Canton, Lewis County, Missouri - Geraldine Ruth "Gerry" Rader | |||
| Death | April 13, 1998 | Boise, Ada County, Idaho |
Families
| Spouse | Geraldine Ruth "Gerry" Rader (1927 - ) |
| Child | Douglas Russell Watts (1951 - ) |
| Child | Cynthia Sue "Cyndy" Watts (1954 - ) |
| Father | Moses Russell Watts (1890 - 1948) |
| Mother | Lucretia Jane "Jenny" Stone (1892 - 1976) |
| Sibling | Margaret Ann Watts (1922 - 2014) |