Doryld Watson Jr.

Doryld Lee Watson, AKA Papa D and Papa Chipper, age 67, passed away on the morning of January 31, 2025, at St. V's Healthcare in Billings, MT, with his family by his side.
Doryld was born on December 31, 1957, in Forsyth, MT, to Doryld Lee Watson, Sr. and Julia Yonkaitis. He spent his childhood in Forsyth, Glendive, and Baker before moving to Colstrip, MT, in the seventh grade, where he lived until his death.
He graduated from Colstrip High School in 1976, where he participated in football, basketball, track, and was involved in band and other school clubs.
After graduation, Doryld went to work at the coal mine in Colstrip for Long Construction, which later became Westmoreland. Over the course of his 42-year career, he worked his way up to shift supervisor.
Doryld was passionate about sports. After graduating high school, he played softball, basketball and participated in a bowling league for many years. Later in life, he took up golfing and thoroughly enjoyed it. He also loved fishing in the Big Horns, where he could relax and escape for a while. In addition to his passion for sports, Doryld enjoyed riding his motorcycle, making many trips to the Sturgis Bike Rally and cruising around on his bike.
Doryld's love for officiating started in 1986 when he began refereeing girls' and boys' basketball games. Over the years, he expanded to officiating football and traveled all over the state doing what he loved. He ended his refereeing career when his knees could no longer take the strain.
A lifelong lover of Western novels, Tom Clancy books, and classic Western movies (with John Wayne being his favorite), Doryld could often be found reading, listening to audiobooks, or quoting his favorite films word for word. He also enjoyed watching any kind of sport.
One of Doryld's favorite times of the year was late summer, when he would travel to Lambert to help his brother-in-law, Rick Mullin, with harvest. He loved driving the combine and earned the nickname "Rainman" from his nephew, Steven, because every time he went to the farm, it seemed to rain!
In 1980, Doryld married Marilyn Kukes, and together they had two sons, Christopher Lee and Cody James. On April 27, 2002, he married Audrey Vojacek Ronningen, gaining three more children-Travis, Amy, and Heather.
Doryld had a deep love for animals, and he was often seen driving around with his two "furbabies," Chipper and Izzy. He cherished his time with his grandchildren and made every effort to attend their games, concerts, and events, staying up-to-date through Facebook to watch their photos and videos. His grandchildren brought him immense joy.
Doryld is survived by his wife, Audrey; sons, Christopher (Cara) of Colstrip, MT, and Cody (Kelly) of Missoula, MT; stepchildren, Travis (Jessica) Ronningen of Alaska, Amy (Ty) Free of Bozeman, MT, and Heather Ronningen of Belgrade, MT; grandchildren, Shelby (Dalton) Hein, Rylan (Sabrina), RaeAnn, and Tristan Isaacs, Dylanne and Dayne Free, Bryce and Cashlynn Watson; and bonus grandchildren, Brand and Chasyn Melin. He is also survived by his siblings, Terry (TerriAnn) Watson, MaryAnn Dale, Ruthie (Rusty) Johnson, Judith McPhail, Darla Barkley, and Melissa (Adair) Norman; numerous brother- and sister-in-laws; as well as many nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and great-nephews.
Doryld was preceded in death by his parents and in-laws.
A celebration of life will be held in Forsyth at the Rosebud County Fairgrounds at 2:00 PM on April 19th, 2025.