James Turner WATSON

30 Nov 1925 - 15 Dec 2001
Married Hazel May 11 May 195?

Photo Provided BY Virgil and DeAnna C Cooley

Obituary -
James Turner Watson, age 76, of Crossett died Saturday, Dec. 15, 2001, at his home. Born Nov. 30, 1925, at Pugh, Ark., to William Pugh and Francis Elizabeth "Bessie" Turner Watson, he was a lifelong resident of the Pugh community where he raised his family, a tree farmer, and a member of the First Baptist Church of Crossett.
Mr. Watson was the Arkansas 4-H Club leader of the year in 1957 and was active in that organization for many years, traveling to numerous regional and national competitions. In the 1960s, he was elected president of the Ashley County Tomato Growers Association and was elected and served as president of the Ashley County Farm Bureau.
Mr. Watson served two terms as a councilman on Farmers Home Administration for Ashley County; a 3-year term on the Crossett Area Chamber of Commerce board of directors, and two terms on the board of the Ashley County Sheltered Workshop. In 1976, he was elected to the then new Ashley County Quorum Court as Justice of the Peace, where he served six consecutive terms, and in 1981, he was elected to the board of directors of Ashley Chicot Electric Cooperative where he served as secretary-treasurer for over 15 years. Also during that period, he served as a director on the board of AECC-AECI, the state organization serving Arkansas' rural cooperatives.
He was a long-time member of the Ashley County Extension Council and served on the board of the Ashley County Soil and Water District. Mr. Watson was a self-educated forester, managing his mother's timberlands from 1956 until her death in 1982. His own expertise in handling his own timberlands brought him Arkansas' highest honor as Arkansas Tree Farmer of the Year in 1980. He was featured and recognized in a 1964 issue of Progressive Farmer magazine for his efforts to rehabilitate and increase production of pine sawtimber and pulpwood on his family acreage. Mr. Watson and his wife Hazel operated the sporting goods and boat dock at Lake Georgia Pacific for 17 years.
He was known for his daily radio reports and photographs of catches and happenings in the area. Mr. Watson was the caretaker for Pugh Cemetery and was a former trustee of the Crossroads Cemetery. Mr. Watson not only served his family; he served his church, community and state. He will be remembered for his rare leadership ability and as a balanced optimist, always thinking of and doing for others, always for their good, never desiring to injure or harm.
Survivors include his wife, Hazel May Watson of Crossett; one son, Mike Watson and wife Becky of Crossett.; one daughter, Sharon Watson Wright and husband David of Liberty, Mo.; three brothers, W.C. "Cornelius" Watson of Crossett, David R. Watson of Benton, and Thomas Watson of Oletha, Kan.; three sisters, Elizabeth Bays and Alice Swilley, both of Crossett, and Cynthia Hollis of Fort Hill, Ark.; three grandchildren, Anna Claire and Gabriel David Wright and Dakota James Watson. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by an infant brother and sister, Bobby Glen and Minnie Louise Watson.
Funeral services were at 2 p.m. Monday, Dec. 17, in the First Baptist Church of Crossett with Bros. Thad Douglass and Larry White officiating. Pallbearers were Don Hartley, Jamie McElroy, Doogie Darling, Bob Pugh, Don Sisson, Dee Smith, Jerry Brumley, Malcom Lee, Conrad Pennington, and Mitchel White. Honorary pallbearers were Dugan Townley, Tommy Woods, the Sunday School class of First Baptist and the graduating class of 1944. Burial followed services at the Pugh Cemetery under the direction of Jones Funeral Home of Crossett.

Contributed on 12/27/11 by tootied
Email This Contributor

Suggest a Correction

Record #: 628715

Don't Follow