Virginia Copeland Watson

Virginia Copeland Watson
May 3, 2023
Kansas City, Missouri - Virginia Lee Copeland Watson passed away peacefully on May 3, 2023 at age 98. She was born to Adam Edward and Mary Catherine Waters Copeland on August 29, 1924 at their farm in central Missouri. She attended high school in nearby Dixon, Missouri. After graduation she made her way to Kansas City to live with her beloved Aunt Frances who was a charter member of Country Club Christian Church and promptly introduced her to their Sunday school classes. There at one of the many social events for servicemen returning from World War II, she met Bill Watson who had returned from the war as a Navy pilot. They were married in October, 1949. In 1951 their only child, William E. Watson, Jr. was born. Soon after, though she had only limited work experience as a bookkeeper for the CJ Patterson Company, it became necessary for her to join her husband's fledgling business, Watson Supply Company which he had founded in 1948. Though she had no college degree, she possessed sound organizational skills, abundant common sense, integrity, and a strong work ethic. They became a wonderful team with her providing the strength and stability on the inside while he applied his sales and creative talents to building the business. Watson Supply Company was a local distributor of janitorial supplies. At annual industry meetings there were few women business owners in the room but Virginia more than held her own. She served as a pioneer for women's success in business earning the respect of distributors and manufacturers throughout the industry. In 1995 she was recognized locally by the Central Exchange as an outstanding woman business leader and in 2008 by the Central Industrial District for her leadership as a small business owner in the West Bottoms. For 63 years she helped run Watson Supply Company, serving as Chairman before the company sold in 2012.
Virginia enjoyed a variety of activities. She served on the Board of the Nettleton Home and as a long-time member of the Kansas City Young Matrons. Above all she loved her family and her church. Monthly visits to the farm in central Missouri to visit and care for her parents were the norm. She also enjoyed being with her two brothers and their families who lived near the farm. In 1978 she and Bill purchased a condo in Green Valley, Arizona. They fell in love with the desert. Many family gatherings in Green Valley became a tradition. When son Bill married Nancy in 1988, Virginia soon took on her most cherished role, that of grandmother to Matt and Adam who knew her as Gigi. She was a 77 year member of Country Club Christian Church and served as a deacon for over 35 years. She was also passionate about gardening and became a devoted member of the Green Team with her role of tending to the roses outside the Chapel.
She is survived by her son, Bill Watson Jr., daughter-in-law Nancy Headley Watson, grandsons Matthew Headley Jones (Anne) and Adam Burge Watson (Kasey), niece Peggy Smith (Hal), nephew Ben Copeland (Kate) and great nieces Sara Copeland (Mark Galus) and Liz Hawks (TJ).
A Celebration of Life service will be held on May 20 at Noon at Country Club Christian Church, 6101 Ward Parkway Kansas City, MO 64113 with visitation at 11 am. A reception will immediately follow. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to Country Club Christian Church.