Gloria A Watts

PEKIN ~ Gloria Ann Watts, 80, of 1613 Holiday Drive, passed away at 2:10 a.m. Thursday, June 11, 2009 at Pekin Hospital.Born April 3, 1929 in Peoria to Cleo Faye and Ruth Irene (Chapman) Jordan, she married Eugene Richard Watts on July 7, 1950 in Peoria. He survives.Also surviving are one son, Michael E. (Linda) Watts of Pekin; two daughters, Kathleen J. (Richard) Strasser of Pekin and Dawn R. (Floyd) King of Edmond, Oklahoma; twelve grandchildren; ten great-grandchildren; one brother, Duane (Charlotte) Jordan of Bonnie, IL and one sister, Lorraine (Chalmers) Cloyd of Peoria.She was preceded in death by her parents; one son, Daniel D. Watts on June 16, 1994 in Peoria; one sister and three brothers.Gloria worked as a telephone operator for CENTEL in Pekin for 25 years, retiring in 1987.She was an active member of First United Methodist Church in Pekin. She also was a longtime member of the Pekin Hospital League.Gloria will be remembered as a people person who loved her family, cared deeply for her friends and was very fond of animals. She enjoyed playing the organ.Her funeral will be at 2 p.m. Monday, June 15, 2009 at Preston-Hanley Funeral Home, Pekin Chapel. The Rev. Terry C. Edele will officiate. Visitation will be one hour before the funeral Monday at the funeral home. Burial will be in Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.The family suggests memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society, 4234 North Knoxville Avenue, Peoria, IL 61614 or to the Tazewell Animal Protective Society, 100 Taps Lane, Pekin, IL 61554.