Obituary - James S. Watson

Sunday, February 4, 2001
THE JUNEAU EMPIRE

Former Juneau resident James "Jim" Sutherland Watson, 74, died Jan. 2, 2001, in Ketchikan, after a long illness.

Watson was born Dec.11, 1926, in Moscow, Idaho. He served in the Navy and earned a bachelor's degree from Penn State University in 1948 and a master's degree from Yale in 1949. He married in 1952 in McCall, Idaho.

He and his family moved to Juneau in 1966 after accepting a position as timber staff officer with the Forest Service. In 1973, they moved to Petersburg for his new position as forest supervisor. He received an award from President Lyndon Johnson for his system of sample log scaling.

Watson retired in 1982. He and his wife lived in Thorne Bay until her health required them to move to Ketchikan, where she became a resident of the Ketchikan Pioneer Home. This past summer, Watson's failing health led to his moving to the Pioneer Home.

He loved Southeast Alaska and enjoyed flying his airplane. He also enjoyed sailing and skiing, and he ran in the first Tongass Narrows Marathon. One of his adventures was traversing the Mendenhall Ice Cap on cross-country skis with a group of friends. He was an avid downhill skier and was a member of the National Ski Patrol in Montana and Juneau.

He was preceded in death by his son, Bill Watson, in 1999.

He is survived by his wife, Betti Watson of Ketchikan; daughters Kerry Watson of Ketchikan, Becky Vinton of Nashua, Mont., and Pat Frantz of Snoqualmie Pass, Wash.; brother William Watson of Greenbelt, Md.; and nine grandchildren.

A celebration of Watson's life was held Jan. 6, in Ketchikan.

Donations are encouraged to any charity.

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