Barbara Ann Watson

Published 2:04 pm Friday, December 29, 2023

Barbara Ann Watson

July 4, 1933 – August 26, 2023

Barbara Ann Watson, 90, passed away peacefully of natural causes under Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care at the Regency Park Place in Corvallis, Oregon. She was born on July 4,1933 to Estelle (Aycock) and John Thomas Hendrix in Cullman, Alabama where she grew up on a small family farm. She met her husband Barney Watson at West Point High School in Vinemont, Alabama. They were married in 1949 and soon had one child, Barney Watson Jr.

Barbara entered a college preparatory program at Sacred Heart College in Cullman in 1952 where she also studied piano, violin, and music fundamentals. In 1953 Barney joined the US Air Force and attended Officers Training School in Texas. From 1953 to 1961 the family was transferred to bases in Pennsylvania, England, Massachusetts, Louisiana, and Nebraska where Barney served as a meteorologist and computer analyst. While he pursued degrees in those fields, Barbara also attended college and received a BA in English/Spanish at Centenary College in Louisiana and a MA in English and history at the University of Nebraska.

In 1965 the family moved to California where Barney worked in the US Civil Service at Ames Research Center (NASA) in Mountain View and as director of the Civil Service Regional Training Center in San Francisco. Barbara received a California Teaching Certificate with a specialization in Secondary Education in 1965 and worked in the Sunnyvale School District from 1965 to 1978 as a teacher of English and history and as the chairperson of the English Department from 1978 to 1986. She greatly loved teaching and mentoring her many students during those years.

In 1986, Barbara and Barney both retired and moved to Medford, Oregon. Barbara enjoyed reading, gardening, daily walks, aerobic exercise classes, and she took great pleasure in the company of her many friends. She also did volunteer work for the Master Gardeners and Friends of the Library for many years. She loved animals and took in several lost and abandoned dogs and cats that showed up on her doorstep, caring for them and giving them a home, including one overweight pug.

Her husband passed away in 2005 and she continued to live in Medford until 2021 when she moved to Corvallis to be closer to her family. Barbara is survived by her son Barney Watson Jr and his wife Nola Mosier, her two grandsons Daniel and Sean Watson, and her sister-in law Martha Watson. She will be buried next to her husband at the veterans Eagle Point National Cemetery near Medford. In her memory donations may be given to Lumina Hospice & Palliative Care in Corvallis, or your local library or humane society.

DeMoss-Durdan Funeral Home handled the arrangements. Please visit demossdurdan.com to leave condolence messages for the family.