James F. Watson

James Franklin Watson, beloved husband, father, and grandfather passed away peacefully on Sunday, April 14, 2024. Jim was born and raised in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the second of 3 sons of Lyle and Hazel Watson. He graduated from North High School in 1956. The following week he joined the US Air Force where he spent most of his four year tour in Denver, CO, where he met his wife, Patricia. After his tour of duty, he was accepted to University of Denver, and graduated with a BS degree in Business Administration in 1963.

Jim was employed by Kohler Company as a Sales Representative, and promoted to Sales Manager for the New York Branch, living in Danbury, CT. While there they raised their 2 sons and enjoyed all the adventures of "The Big Apple" and New England. He then received a promotion to Branch Manager for the Mid-Atlantic area, moving to Columbia, MD. For the next 10 years they enjoyed all the great opportunities found in Washington DC.

Jim accepted a promotion to Director of Sales for the Midwest Region, and moved to the Chicago area where they lived until his retirement from Kohler in 2002. Jim didn't stay retired long. In 2004, he accepted the position of VP of Sales and Marketing to Tasman Corp., which is headquartered in Australia. In this position he launched the company's expansion of product sales into the North and South American markets and was later provided additional responsibilities for the Southern Asian Pacific Rim.

Upon his second retirement, Jim and Pat followed their dream to live where there would be no more snow to shovel, which brought them to Wilmington, NC where they built their retirement home, a place where their children and grandchildren often came to visit and enjoy the beach life. While living in Wilmington, Jim became a "Fellow" in the Cameron Executive Network at UNC-Wilmington, mentoring graduating seniors in Business Management. They have been active members of the Senior Men's Club of Wilmington.

In his retirement years Jim and his wife spent a great deal of time traveling and dinner parties with friends and attending various classes at UNC-Wilmington. They also are members of Wrightsville United Methodist Church. His other interests included being an avid reader. He loved biographies, documentaries, and history, particularly World War II. He also loved old and new cars and never missed the opportunity to attend a car show. He stayed in good physical condition and regularly worked out in the gym before they were available on every street corner. Jim spent time enjoying family and friends, and will be remembered for being a devoted and loving family man and a loyal friend to many.

In his later years, dementia erased many of his memories, but he never lost his sense of humor and joyfulness. Anyone who knew Jim knows how much he loved music, and if you were riding in his car he would always be singing whatever song was playing on the radio. Even toward the end he never lost his ability to remember all the words to his favorite hymns or the lyrics to his favorite 70's songs. In a last beach photo, the whole family wore bright matching Hawaiian shirts. Papa thought everyone looked ridiculous and refused to wear his shirt for the dinner afterwards. He must have been thinking of his favorite Judy Collins song that he loved to hum:

"Where are the clowns?

Send in the clowns,

Don't bother, they're here.”

Jim is survived by his devoted wife Patricia, sons Douglas and Steven, daughters-in-law Kim and Jill, his three grandchildren, Alexander, Jack, and Katie, and his brothers Lyle Jr. and Richard.

The family would like to express their gratitude to his care partners Steffanie Schwartz, Jodi Hunter, Valerie Kinsley, as well as the wonderful support and care given by "Lower Cape Fear LifeCare".

Services will be held at Kenan Chapel in Landfall on April 25, 2024 at 11:00 am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to:

Lower Cape Fear LifeCare, 1414 Physicians Drive, Wilmington, NC 28401

lifecare.org

1-800-733-1476 

or

New Hanover Humane Society, located at 2405 N. 23rd Street, Wilmington, NC 28401

newhanoverhumanesociety.org

910-763-6692