Thelma Ann Watson

Thelma was born November 22, 1927 in Black Diamond, Washington, to Daniel Coutcher, a coal miner, and Rosetta Minnie Nelson.

Thelma had seven siblings. Her father died when she about 7 and her deaf mother was not able to care for all of the children. She believed the older ones went out on their own, the two youngest stayed with the mother, and the middle girls went to live at the Seattle Children’s Home. Thelma was later adopted from the home and gained a new set of parents, Alfred and Chetta Tinsen, and a beloved grandmother.

She attended Roosevelt High School in Seattle, graduating in 1946. After WWII she met and married Fred Watson. They made their home near Green Lake and raised two boys, Jim and Ron. She doted on her granddaughters, Jenny and Melissa.

A bookkeeper by trade, Thelma was also a creative artist. She painted, experimented with stained glass, sewed, and created decorative ornaments from recycled materials.

She loved her gardens, both floral and vegetable. Cooking for others was her pleasure. Many were recipients of Thelma’s annual array of Christmas cookies. Her “Apple Pie R Squared” was legendary.

Thelma’s later years were saddened by the deaths of her husband, Fred, in 2003; her son, Ron, in 2013; and her son, Jim, in 2021. She moved to Warm Beach Senior Living in 2014. She was well cared for in her final few years at Angels of Comfort Adult Family Home in Marysville.