William Ross Watkins

He was preceded in death by his parents, Mildred Memorie Duncan & Isaac Henry Watkins, brothers Charles & Delbert Watkins, his first wife, Marjorie Juanita Watkins Nabozny, nee Wolfe, as well as third wife, Orphia Cooper Watkins & great-granddaughter Tiarra Hinkle.

William is survived by William's second wife, Sheila Watkins, Sons Stephen, Michael, Andrew (& Lee Shue) Samuel Watkins, as well as daughter Lydia Estridge & her husband, Darren Estridge, granddaughters Edith & Elsa Estridge, Katie Bowser, Michelle & Kristen Cain, grandsons Elijah & Elisha Watkins-Deaton, Shane Cooper, great-granddaughters Malorie Harrell, Alexa Cain, Hannah Clemons, great-grandson Tyreese Cain and daughter-in-law, Estora Deaton.

William grew up in Dalton, Georgia, as well as Miami, Florida, before joining the US Navy and served aboard ship during the Korean Conflict. Upon his discharge, William returned to Dalton, Georgia where he met his 1st wife, Marjorie & future Mother-In-Law, Hazel Moore, who told William that if he wanted to go out with Marjorie, he had to be a Pentecostal church going/God fearing/loving man that believed Jesus is God's only begotten son & the only way to the Father. William was a devoted Christian who loved God very much & believed it was his duty to God to spread the Gospel of Christ whenever, wherever, & however he could.

William & Marjorie married & moved to California to join the Electronics Industry of Santa Clara County (now, the Silicon Valley). William was hired by the company Ampex & was recognized for his dedication to work & ways to work more efficiently. He was rewarded with a supervisory position.

William & Marjorie divorced years later. William was later employed as a Job Corps Instructor, teaching students, to help them achieve a H.S. diploma and/or trade certificates; one such student later went on to become the Heavy Boxing Champion of the World (George Foreman). William met & soon married his 2nd wife, Shiela, who was also an employee at Job Corps. Together, William & Sheila raised their family in the Pentecostal faith where William ministered at churches in Sacramento & the San Joaquin Delta region of Northern California.

William was employed as a US Postal Carrier for more than a decade in & around The Sacramento area. William served as a Minister at several churches at various times while living in Northern California. Eventually, William settled in Fort Wayne, Indiana to be with his wife & family, who had moved to Fort Wayne to help in the care of aging family members. William & Sheila later divorced, but remained cordial.

William worked at a few different businesses in Fort Wayne/Allen County & the Auburn/DeKalb County areas. While attending a church in the Auburn area, William met his 3rd wife, Orphia Cooper. After a short courtship, the two were soon married & living in Auburn, Indiana. After several years, the two reluctantly separated & eventually divorced. William returned to Fort Wayne, later helping Michael in buying a house where they lived together until his passing on the 8th of April 2026.

A private ceremony will be held on Thursday, April 16th, 2026, at Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services, located at 2114 S. Calhoun St., Fort Wayne, Indiana. Burial will take place after at Marion National Cemetery, in Marion, IN. Those wishing to send flowers to the mortuary at the address above.