August 29, 1930 – February 15, 2022
Robert Thorold Watson (91) of Mesa, AZ passed away on February 15, 2022 after a brief battle with Leukemia.
Bob was born on August 29, 1930 to Thorold (Tom) and Hazel Watson in Queens, NY. After graduating from Forest Hills High School in 1948, he attended Pace University in New York City where he studied accounting. He served in the US National Guard and Army from 1951 through 1959.
In 1951 he married Jeanette (Jaye) Moore at St. George’s Church in Flushing, NY. Jaye was the love of his life, and they were married for over 70 wonderful years and were together at the time of his passing.
Bob and Jaye moved from Long Island, NY to Mesa, AZ in 1960 and lived there the rest of their lives; Bob started his accounting practice in his home in Mesa in 1960 – that firm is now Watson CPA PC (located in Gilbert, AZ) and has continued under the leadership of two of his sons.
Bob and Jaye were founding charter members of Church of the Redeemer Mesa, AZ in 1962 and have attended there for the past 60 years. Bob served for many years as an elder in the church, taught classes, and mentored many people there. In his spare time, Bob became a distributor for the American Bible Society and distributed thousands of Bibles and Christian books – mostly the “Good News For Modern Man” (Today’s English Version) of the New Testament. This led to Bob and Jaye starting a bookstore which served the East Valley for many years. Bob also served with Jaye as a volunteer “candy-striper” at the hospital in the early days of his retirement.
Bob loved playing racquetball, singing in the choir, playing cards (mainly Bridge and Canasta) and cooking on his outdoor grill – especially when done with his wife and his family. He was an avid puzzler and was always working on Sudoku, logic and jigsaw puzzles (many of which were glued, framed and decorated his home). In the mid-1990s, he started a collection of cat art. With the help of his family and friends he amassed a collection of over 1,400 cat related items including ceramics, paintings, clocks, household tools, jewelry, and (of course) cat-themed jigsaw puzzles.
Bob had a very creative and innovative personality. His artistic endeavors included building lamps from plastic cups, sculptures from drinking straws, and a matching flagpole and water fountain from the golf balls that landed in his backyard at Desert Sands golf course. His practical construction projects included the world’s sturdiest sewing machine table, an elevated train track that ran throughout his house (including through walls and cabinets), and a pedestal for his wife’s recliner to make it easier for her to get in and out of her chair as she got older.
Bob is predeceased by his parents and his sister, Valerie Flynn. He is survived by his wife, Jaye; his sister, Lynn (and Dave) Jolly of Union, KY; his sons, Neil (and Lisa), Wesley (and Kim), Glenn (and Susie), Matthew (and Syria), his daughter, Barbara (and Jerry) Osborne; along with 14 Grandchildren (Jonathan, Todd, Andrea, Justin, Christopher, Robert, Breanne, Joshua, Jason, Katie, Benjamin, Matthew, Kyle, and Kortnee), 38 Great-grandchildren (Alexis, Tayden, Jace, Aubrey, Kiefer, Cooper, Foss, William, David, Christina, Zoe, Xander, Marta, Natalia, Ilie, Alina, Lily, Topher, Mia, Wesley, Jessica, Grace, Catelin, Gabriel, Corban, Emma, Archer, Norah, Sarah, Ellie, Addilyn, Thorleigh, Tucker, Brooklyn, Ellie Jo, Teagan, Zander, and Rohan) and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins (including Nancy, Beth, Crystal and Danielle).
A celebration of life memorial service will be held at Church of the Redeemer (717 N Stapley Drive, Mesa, AZ) on Tuesday March 1st, 2022 at 10am. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Hospice of the Valley, a nonprofit organization which assisted Bob in his final days.
