Robert Daniel Watkins

Dan Watkins was born Robert Daniel Watkins, August, 1951, at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Washington, D.C. to then Major James H. Watkins, USAF (later Major General JHW) and Kathleen Collum Watkins. As the youngest of four children, he was soon dubbed “Danny,” which in high school he shortened to Dan. Military families moved frequently, so life centered around his close-knit nuclear family in whatever town and community was currently home, whether Virginia, Texas, Germany or Canada. To maintain a sense of roots, his dad, nicknamed “Tid” for the popular children’s book character Tommy Tiddler, took the family every summer during his one month leave from the Air Force to his childhood home of San Saba, Texas, the geographical center of Texas and pecan capital of the world. There Danny enjoyed fishing, hunting with grandfather Daddy Jim, as well as the bounty of Mother Exa’s garden at the ever-expanding table where a stray neighborhood kid was always welcomed. Granddad was the town barber at Jim Watkins’ Barber Shop. Although Daddy Jim cut hair any day of the week, Saturday was the “going to town” day and by far the busiest. The Coca-Cola Machine was filled with 6 oz. bottles that cost a dime, and another dime would buy a shower since many homes in the rural town didn’t have indoor plumbing. Daddy Jim kept a cup of dimes under the counter at the shop for Dan, his brothers Mike and Jim, and his sister Janet, along with his San Saba cousins to split for spending money at Watkins’ Pharmacy, where his uncle was pharmacist and where they could grab a candy bar, soda, and read the newest issues of Superman comics. The only rule: Be careful you don’t spill on the copy that went back on the rack for paying customers.

Dan’s educational career began at five years old at Humpty Dumpty College in Arlington, Virginia. Next he attended Ashlawn Elementary in Arlington, Virginia, followed by 5th and 6th grade at Randolph Air Force Base Elementary near San Antonio, Texas. He continued 7th grade at Randolph High School, 8th grade in Ontario, Canada, 9th grade at Kenmore Junior High in Arlington, VA., followed by grades 10-12 at Washington Lee High School in Arlington, Virginia where he was President of National Honor Society and German Club. He played soccer, baseball, and was a basketball scout, and graduated Valedictorian in 1969. Desiring to return to his Texas roots, Dan received a full tuition scholarship to Rice University; however, because Rice had no AFROTC program, he attended the University of Texas at Austin where he received a BS in Engineering Science in December, 1973 and an MS in Aerospace Engineering in December 1974. At UT, he met his future wife, Bonnie Higgins of Houston, Texas on August 20, 1970, over a spaghetti dinner that her roommate, who introduced them, prepared. Later, Bonnie and Dan dangled their feet in the swimming pool at Bonnie’s apartment complex and talked until 2 a.m.

Bonnie and Dan were married May 27, 1973, at then Bergstrom Air Force Base Chapel in Austin, currently Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. They moved to Big Spring, Texas, where Dan attended pilot training. He was transferred to the position of Satellite Test Office at Sunnyvale AFB, near San Jose, California where they purchased their first home. Their son Brian was born in 1978 in nearby Los Gatos, California. While in California, Dan became interested in amateur photography, so he built a dark room in their garage and developed his own photographs, always favoring black and white photography. Dan was medically retired from the Air Force as a captain and returned to Austin, Texas, to reside at 10102 Chukar Circle. Their second son Phillip was born three years later in 1982 in Austin.

Dan returned to the University of Texas for graduate school to study Computer Science. One year later, he became a partner at Mirage Film Graphics as a pioneer in the then very new field of Computer Animation. In 1992, Dan began to teach College Algebra at Austin Community College as well as being a math tutor in the Learning Lab at Northridge Campus in North Austin. He retired from teaching at ACC in 2015, but continued as a part-time tutor at the Learning Lab until 2020.

Throughout his life, Dan’s avocation was collecting quotations and researching the accuracy of attributions of those in his quotation collection. In 2001, he published An Encyclopedia of Compelling Quotations, containing quotes from over 3,000 sources. In addition, his collected quotations appeared in dozens of small gift books and journals published by Running Press and Peter Pauper Press.

After accepting Christ, Dan was baptized in the same waters with his son Brian in 1986 at Hyde Park Baptist Church where his sons attended school. After attending church at Hyde Park, Dan and Bonnie began to attend Hope Chapel in the early 90s. Dan was a night owl, so he attended the Saturday night services at Hope, which later became Sunday evening services meeting in the sanctuary, then the Lighthouse and finally the Den. When those services ended, Dan transitioned to train and serve at Dinner Church on Saturday evenings. He was most grateful to the Live Stream team! Subsequently, he attended special evening services or church activities.

Dan and Bonnie felt especially blessed to have moved back to Austin, where Dan’s faith-filled parents Kathleen and Tid often hosted family gatherings (and later a season of evening family Bible Studies) in their home in Northwest Hills, where they also hosted many weekend or holiday meals as well as treating the family to frequent restaurant meals. Summer visits to their lake cottage at Lake LBJ, which Dan’s dad, Brother Jim, and Dan built over many summers, were a highlight. All the visiting cousins swam, jumped off the boat house roof, water skied, and jumped on bunk beds late into the night.

Years later, Dan particularly enjoyed visits with his two sons, their wives, and his grandchildren. First known as “Daddy D” and then later as “D” to his grandchildren, he liked to read, build with Legos large and then smaller as got older, or play games at his sons’ Austin homes, but more at his home, his castle, his favorite place.

Dan will be remembered by his wife of 52 years, Bonnie; son Brian, wife Jessica, granddaughters Mina and May; son Phillip, wife Brenda, grandson Micah and granddaughter Lucia; sister Janet Watkins Jendron Borrellis (Fort Mill, SC), brother-in-law Bob Jendron and their daughter Kathleen, son Trip Jendron and wife Natalie; son Danny Jendon and wife Carly (Charlotte, NC), and daughter Claudia Jendron Schaffer and husband Brad (Chicago, IL); brother Michael Watkins and wife Cheri and their sons Russell and wife Melissa (Austin, TX) and Aaron and wife Leslie (Vancouver, WA) ; brother Jim Watkins and wife Taylor and their children James, Mary Alice and husband DJ Brady (Austin), son Christopher and wife Tori (Asheville, NC); numerous cousins, UT friends, and neighbors on Chukar Circle who have been so kind and helpful to Dan and Bonnie.

By Dan’s request, in lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Hope Chapel: https://onrealm.org/HopeChapelATX/give/DW or the National Association for the Mentally Ill (NAMI): https://donate.nami.org

Dan’s Celebration of Life Service: Saturday, July 26, 2025, 12 Noon-1 p.m.; Hope Chapel, 670l Arroyo Seco, Austin 78757. (No childcare available.) Light Reception to follow. Also by Dan’s request: No suits or ties; instead: Dress jeans, polo shirts, Hawaiian shirts.

Since Dan and Bonnie were involved in various ministries where Dan was often a quiet presence because of his mental health, they discussed in advance that he preferred his service be limited to family and friends who related to him or Bonnie directly over the years. Please pray for the service to glorify God. Thanks for your understanding.

A livestream option is available on You Tube: Dan Watkins Memorial. It is already in place. If you go there now, you should find: Live in: with a countdown to the days until July 26.