Josie Watts

Josie Jean Hallmark Watts, fourth and last child of Fenton Hallmark and Ida Susan Woodard passed from this life on Friday, February 1, 2019. She lived on this earth for 88 and 1/3 years, being birthed in Eldridge, Alabama, in the Fall of 1930, and breathing her last in Bessemer. She spent her days in Alabama with a short sojourn to Michigan during World War II and later to South Carolina working at Dupont.

She graduated from Hubbertville High School, 1947, and Draughton's Business College in Birmingham, 1949. She spent many of her adult years caring for her children, singing in the church choir, and cooking weekly church suppers at First Baptist Church, Decatur. After retirement she built a house, planted flowers, weed-eated clean three acres and killed every snake and lizard in sight, drove a tractor into the lake, and perfected her cycling moves in that same water supported by her trusty life belt.

She is preceded in death by her husband of 65 years, William Ware Watts, her parents, siblings, and two sewing machines. She is survived by her sons: William Daniel, Patrick Michael, and Kenneth Stuart; her daughter Lisa Carol; her daughters-in-law: Nancy Hill Watts and Dwala Ferrell; her son-in-law Ronald Sparkman; her grandchildren: Patricia, Laura, Micah, Kelsey, Wesley and Cameron; her great-grandchildren: Lily, Annabelle, Juliette, Olive, Evelyn, River, and Theo; and a well worn Scrabble board.

In lieu of flowers please spend an evening with your family or friends playing Scrabble, cooking and eating a meal together, planting a flower garden, sleeping in your recliner, or working a jigsaw puzzle.

Her family invites you to a memorial service at New River Baptist Church, Eldridge, Fayette County Road 44, Saturday February 9th at 11:00 A.M. with a reception to follow.

Service