James Alexander WATT

Reverend James Alexander WATT July 5, 1923 - July 19, 2014 Two weeks after celebrating his 91st earthly birthday, Jim Watt celebrated his heavenly birthday. Jim was born to Canadian parents in Crossett, Arkansas. His father, a steam engineer travelled many places to operate steam plants and when Jim was 14 years old, his family located to Port Alberni and he enrolled in grade nine at Alberni District High School, from which he graduated in 1941. It was there he met his wife-to-be, Marie Gaudet. He attended UBC for one year before volunteering for the Royal Canadian Navy as a Naval Bandsman, playing trombone. After release from the Navy he attended Hawtin's Bible school, St. Andrew's College and graduated cum laude from the University of Saskatchewan in May 1948. He married his wife, Marie, in Port Alberni on December 27, 1948. They moved to Chicago for his seminary training and in 1952 he graduated from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois and was subsequently ordained by the American Baptist Convention. During his ministerial career that continued through his 90th year, He pastored many congregations including ones in or near Chicago, IL, Seattle WA, Surrey, BC, and Arcata, CA, across denominations and included Messianic Jewish and Korean congregations. Along with his wife, Marie, he traveled widely ministering at conferences, churches, retreats, and seminars, which brought him to Chile, India, Japan, and together to Europe, Egypt, and Israel, in addition to many places in Canada (including Port Alberni) and the United States. While not an engineer like his father, or his more distant relative and name sake the Scottish inventor of the steam engine, he applied the same careful analysis to his lifelong avocation of accurate Bible translation and Bible teaching. You can find many of his writings at his website, 2rbetter.org Jim always noted his pleasure to have married into what he referred as the Gaudet Clan. He loved their French Canadian and Metis heritage and was honoured that he was asked to conduct the marriages of several of its members. Jim is survived by his wife of 65 years, Marie, of Federal Way, Washington; his sons Jim and Peter; daughter Anna (Garl), seven grandchildren, and three great grandchildren, all residing in the USA. He is predeceased by his younger brother, Reverend George Watt. He is also survived by sisters-in-law Helen Watt (Toronto area), Irene Thomson (Port Alberni), Dodie Markin (Pitt Meadows), Majorie Buckham (Kelowna), Margaret Green (Fanny Bay), and brothers-in-law Paulie Gaudet and George Markin both of Port Alberni, and numerous nephews and nieces and their spouses and their children scattered across Canada and the US. The family invites you to a memorial service at 3 PM on Saturday August 23 at First Baptist Church (6211 Cherry Creek Road), with a reception following. The officiant will be Bert Thomson, Senior Pastor of Every Nation GTA in Toronto, a nephew of Rev. Watt. Prior to the service, at 2 PM, his remains will be interred at the Alberni Valley Memorial Gardens nearby others of the Port Alberni Gaudet Clan.