Phyllis was born in Federalsburg to the late Arie Richard and Imogene Taylor Hughes, but if you asked her, she would tell you she was from “down below” Cambridge in Andrews, MD. She lived in several places after leaving Federalsburg, as she became part of the foster system. Phyllis was more fortunate than most, having had the pleasure of living with Clara Louise Cranfield and her family on a farm in Caroline County. Separation was very hard on her and her five siblings, but they all eventually reunited and remained very close.
Phyllis married her loving husband, Walter Howard Watson in 1962. She began her working career in 1968 with Acme Markets in Berlin, MD. She then moved to their location at the Twilley Center in Salisbury where she retired from in the late 1980’s. Phyllis was an avid football fan, not just one team, but all teams, college and professional. She loved her family, and missed her friends and relatives that had gone before her.
In addition to her parents and beloved husband of 53 years Walter, who passed in 2015, Phyllis is preceded in death by her sister, Anita Biggs; brother, James “Jimmy” Hughes; sister-in-law, Sylvia Hughes; and brothers-in-law: Norman Biggs, Charles Crossley, James Watson, Harvey Watson, and Juan Perez.
She’s survived by her two daughters: Lisa M. Caldwell (James) and Theresa Ann Negron, both of Pittsville. She also leaves to mourn her loss her grandchildren: J. Joseph Coleman (Hope) of Salisbury, Jason Coleman (Catherine) of Wheeling, WV, Clinton Barnes, Jr. (Jessica) of Salisbury, Joshua Hughes Caldwell of Alexandria, VA, Aaron and Emily Caldwell of Pittsville; great-grandchildren: Lillianna Coleman and Bryson Barnes of Salisbury; sisters, Connie Crossley of Lincoln, DE, Linda Johnson (Barry) of Mexico; brother, Robert Hughes of Ellendale, DE, sisters-in-law, Patricia Hughes of Denton, MD, Charlotte Watson Perez of Chula Vista, CA, and numerous nieces and nephews.
There will be a visitation on Saturday, November 13, 2021 at Bounds Funeral Home, 705 E. Main St., Salisbury from 2:00pm - 4:00pm where the family will receive relatives and friends. In honor of Phyllis’ love of animals, the family requests in lieu of flowers, donations be made in her memory to the Humane Society of Wicomico County (www.wicomicohumane.org). Please visit www.boundsfuneralhome.com to share memories and messages with the family.
