DeElda Laura Watson, age 87, died Tuesday May 26, 2020 at the Good Samaritan Hospital in Lafayette, CO of natural causes. Born Feb 19, 1933 in Rapid City SD she was the daughter of Buell Woodle and Margaret Albertson Woodle and sister to Gary Woodle.
Survived and grateful for having shared her life are three sons, DeLane Watson and wife Carla Galvin, Daryl Watson and wife Christine, Dale Watson and wife Barbara, one daughter, Denise Watson and husband Gil Scott, eleven Grandchildren, two great grandchildren, and one great great grandson.
She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, and her husband, Dwane Watson. DeElda will be interred with her husband Dwane at the Black Hills National Cemetery located outside of Sturgis in SD.
Raised in Sturgis, SD she played trombone in the marching band and was active in the Presbyterian Church. After high school she worked for the Black Hills and Bad Lands Association which provided all the tourism information for the western side of SD. She modeled for many advertisements and even was on the cover of the Sturgis brochure issued by the Sturgis Chamber of Commerce.
DeElda obtained a bachelors degree in journalism from the University of SD in Vermillion and was a member of the Delta Phi sorority. She sang alto in a trio that had their own fifteen minute radio program. She met her husband Dwane at a sorority/fraternity mixer while attending the University and they married and embarked on his career serving in the Army after graduation. She enjoyed moving and experiencing new places, but mostly making tremendous, amazing, life-long friends.
DeElda found her passion in decorative painting. She excelled in many styles from Tole, to Russian, to Bavarian Folk Art, to Norwegian Rosemaling and passed the National Certification test on her first entry. She loved sharing her talent with others and taught many classes, or had marathon painting weekends with her ‘painting-pals’. She enjoyed selling her creations at craft shows, art fairs, Christmas shops and even country style restaurants.
DeElda and Dwane retired from the Army and remained in Carlisle PA where she lived for thirty-two years. She was surrounded by many retired military friends and stayed active in the post chapel choir, bible studies, PWOC, book club, and playing cards.
After her husband died, DeElda moved to Denver to be closer to three of her children and to begin a new life at the age of seventy-six. She moved into her first ever, brand new house, and she loved putting her special stamp on it. She always had a “mommy-do” list for son DeLane when he came to visit. She knew that he would always be willing to help with a smile. She was active in line dancing, bridge, hand and foot and bunko as well as the singles group. She was blessed to have great neighbors, specifically Pam and Ian Patrick who became good friends and part of the family. DeElda and her daughter Denise spent most weekends together going to the pool, shopping for clothes, or working on various jewelry craft projects. There were many amazing holidays with the family gathered around her son Daryl and wife Christine’s table, not to mention some awesome pool, bingo and Halloween parties.
DeElda loved to travel. She went on many cruises with great friends Ruby and Laughton Corr to the Caribbean Islands, up the Eastern seaboard to Canada to see the fall foliage, and even a riverboat cruise to St. Petersburg, Netherlands, and Amsterdam. Her last trip in 2017 was with Denise and husband Gil to her son Dale and wife Barbara’s for Thanksgiving. It was such a special time, great food, great weather, great family time, a lasting memory.
DeElda spent the last few months of her life living at Generations, the memory care facility at the Peaks in Lafayette CO where she found friendship, kindness, happiness and love. She loved to dance and was known as the ‘dancing machine’. She danced right up to the end.
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