Chris Watson

Chris Watson Chris passed away peacefully on December 4th 2019 at Summerville Community Hospice House with husband Graham at her side, after a long battle with lymphoma. Chris was born to Andrew and Helen Scheponik and raised in Charleroi, Pennsylvania. On the Honors list at school, she used that same drive to become a Registered Nurse. After a few years she entered the home health care management field and moved to New York City where she met Graham. They lived in Brooklyn and then New Jersey, and were able to travel extensively as well as taking full advantage of the entertainment available in the NYC area. After one too many cold Jersey winters, Chris decided that a move to South Carolina was needed. They built a house in Bluffton and moved in on Valentine's Day 2002. Chris joined the Human Resources department at Beaufort Memorial Hospital, retiring as HR Manager. She forged many deep friendships with her colleagues and seemed to know nurses at every local medical facility that we visited over the years. She received the Palmetto Gold award for services to SC nursing. In 2002 Chris was diagnosed and first treated; while she was going through chemotherapy and working full time, she earned her MSN - another example of her drive. She immediately started to mentor other candidates. After a 10-year remission the cancer returned and despite her heroic efforts over the next four years finally took her life. She was her own best advocate, and we visited several oncology specialists all over the eastern states and Texas while maintaining a punishing treatment regime locally. Chris was my best friend and the strongest person that I have met. I was and am tremendously proud of her and count myself fortunate to have had her in my life and to have been a part of hers. We were lucky enough to build so many memories; her three passions were her family, animals (both our pets and underprivileged), and nursing. She adopted her first dog in 1985 and that was the start of a long-term involvement in animal rescue and many cats and dogs as part of our family. She was a tremendously capable and efficient manager of our family, our household and life generally; she always put others first. She is irreplaceable. We will miss her more than words can say. In lieu of flowers please send donations to Brooke's Haven Animal Rescue 25 Buck Island Road 29910 or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.