Jerry Rupert Watkins, 77, lost a long, brave battle with lung cancer at home Monday, Feb. 7, 2011, with his wife Louise by his side. Funeral: 11 a.m. Saturday at Winscott Road Memorial Chapel, 1001 Winscott Rd. Interment: 1 p.m. in Annetta Cemetery. A reception following the burial will be held at the Fort Worth Education Association building, 6021 Westcreek, Fort Worth. Visitation: 6 to 8 p.m. Friday at Winscott Road Funeral Home. Jerry was born Sept. 24, 1933, in K.M.A., the only child of Cyril Rupert Watkins and Eula Juanita Alcorn Watkins Blanton. As a young child he lived near Wichita Falls, Palacius, Denton, and Fort Worth, where he continued to live for the majority of his life. Jerry graduated from Arlington Heights High School in 1952. He attended North Texas Teachers College graduating with a BS in education in 1956 and an M.S. in education in 1958. He began his teaching career at Castleberry Junior High in 1956, moving to Lamar Middle School in Austin in 1961, and returned to Fort Worth to teach at Meadowbrook Middle School in 1966 until his retirement in 1992. He was very active with the Fort Worth Classroom Teachers Association, serving as the Fort Worth Chapter president in 1991. He was proud of his membership with TSTA/NEA and was active as a retired teacher up until his death. Jerry was a longtime teacher who touched many lives and inspired many students. Jerry believed that life should be lived to the fullest. He often said that he experienced more in his one lifetime than many experienced in 10, living life his way. He believed that to have a friend you had to be a friend and was just that to all that he met. During his lifetime he found time for a variety of interests. For many years he was an avid hunter and fisherman, raising Brittany spaniels for field trials. He rode motorcycles and enjoyed boating. In his 50s he decided to fulfill a lifelong dream of flying and was proud of achieving his private pilot's license. He enjoyed traveling and he and Louise traveled to Europe, Canada, and most of the U.S., with his favorite place being Alaska. He was a "farmer" raising and selling coastal hay. He loved riding on his tractor and working the land. His list of things he enjoyed goes on, just as the legacy he leaves behind. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents; daughter, Debbie Jean Craig; his half-brother, Wyndell Watkins; and half-sister, Delia Annhauser. Survivors: Wife of 21 years, Anna Louise Watkins; sons, Jerry Rupert Watkins II and wife, Carla, and Jeremy Lee Carter and wife, Kelsey; daughters, Kathy Watkins and Jennifer Leah Davis; grandchildren, Jerry R. Watkins, Randy Watkins, Chase Craig and Kirk Craig; aunts, Roberta Evans and Myrtle Marie McDonald; numerous cousins; and his beloved cat, Scooter.
Published in Star-Telegram on February 10, 2011