George Henry Watson III

Died peacefully at his family home in Bethesda, MD on August 19, 2015. He was 35. George was the compassionate, gentle and kind hearted son of Ellen Bradley Watson and George H. Watson, Jr. They are his only survivors. George attended the Landon School in Bethesda, graduated from Oberlin College in Ohio, and earned his master's degree from the Bank Street Graduate School of Education in New York. At an early age, George determined to be a teacher of young children. He taught the lower grades at the Spence School in Manhattan, Capitol Hill Day School in Washington, and Lancaster Country Day School in Pennsylvania. George's talents as a teacher were regarded as a gift by those who observed his ability to engage and expand young minds. He specialized in using "Storyline," a teaching technique widely used in Europe, and just emerging in the United States. The multi-disciplinary lessons engage pupils who devise a story plot and work toward its solution over a school term. George was recognized as a leader in introducing Storyline to the schools in which he taught. While teaching was his vocation, music was George's avocation. He had garage bands with friends from middle-school through college, including a stint in graduate school in New York City, where "The Song Corporation" played East Village clubs and published three CDs. Severe pancreatitis and the effects of epilepsy forced him to resign as a second grade teacher in Lancaster in 2014, when he returned to his family home. George took his own life following a long battle with his illnesses. He was preceded in death by his beloved sister, Ellen Havican Watson, who died in 2006. George's ashes will be inurned privately at the columbarium at St. Columba's Episcopal Church. The family will hold a reception for those who wish to honor his memory on September 12 from three until six in the afternoon, at 6613 Kenhill Road in Bethesda, MD.