Obituary of Kenneth E. Watson

Kenneth E. Watson Jr., age 83 died in his sleep from complications of lung cancer on Thursday March 4, 2010 at his apartment at The Residences at Wingate at Silver Lake in Kingston, MA. He is survived by his wife, Anne R. Watson, also at Wingate at Silver Lake in Kingston, MA and had two children, Anne Katharine Noble (Watson), deceased, and Kenneth E. (Terry) Watson III of Duxbury, MA. He had three grandchildren, Christopher Ian Watson of New Milford, CT, Richard Dean Watson of Brookfield, CT and Kenneth E. (Kip), Watson IV of Duxbury, MA and one great-grandchild, Anne Katharine Watson of New Milford, CT. He was born in Worcester, MA and moved to New Rochelle, NY where he attended New Rochelle High School. He graduated early from New Rochelle High School in January of 1944 to join the United States Army Air Corp. During World War II he was stationed at Keesler Field in Biloxi, MI where he was a flight instructor for B-24 bomber pilots. After the war, he attended Philadelphia College of Science and Textiles (now Philadelphia University) and after graduation, moved back to New Rochelle to join the J.W. Wood Textiles sales firm in New York City. In 1956 the family moved to Wilton, CT where they lived until 1972. Ken was very active in the Wilton Playshop and acted in many local productions, including his favorite role of Ensign Pulver in the play Mister Roberts. Ken was also a longtime skier, having started on the local golf courses in New Rochelle and for many years the family had a ski house near the Sugarbush resort in Waitsfield, VT. Ken had a lifelong passion for Jazz and Big Band music and he was a talented drummer. As a young man he had the opportunity to play with some of the Big band groups travelling through New York and continued his interest in music playing occasionally with a group of friends well into his later years. In 1972 Ken and his wife moved From Wilton and in 1982 settled in Candlewood Shores on Lake Candlewood in Brookfield, CT and after the untimely death of their daughter, he and his wife Anne raised their two grandchildren Christopher and Richard in Brookfield. A memorial service will be held later this Spring at the Brookfield Congregational Church in Brookfield, CT. Contributions may be made in Ken’s memory to Doctors Without Borders USA, PO Box 5030, Hagerstown, MD 21741.