George Franklin Watson II

George Franklin Watson II lived his life in motion… laughing loudly, loving deeply, and rarely standing still for long. Whether on a ball field, beside a tractor, in the mountains, or following music across the country, he had a way of turning ordinary days into stories people would tell for years.

Born October 26, 1977, to Sallie Mae and George Watson in Columbus, Mississippi. George was raised in Strong, MS with his older sisters Sarah and Lou Anne, where his lifelong connection to land, machinery, and the outdoors first took root. From an early age he preferred doing over watching, learning by following his Papa George through farm work and figuring out how things worked simply because he needed to know. That curiosity never left him, he carried the mind of a builder and a fixer throughout his life.

Sports found him young and never let go. What began as a childhood love eventually became one of the clearest expressions of who he was: someone who showed up, encouraged loudly, and made everyone around him feel like they mattered.

Before long, being a father would become his proudest role; one that shaped the man most people came to know.

He became a father to Trip and Marley, and from that point forward his life took its clearest direction. Later he married Mary Margaret, his partner in adventure and in everyday life where he wholeheartedly took on the role of a step father to Mary's oldest son Addison. Together they built a home full of love. They were blessed with sons Kirby, Wilkes, and Camp, and the rhythm of family life became the center of everything he did.

In 2016 George and Mary Margaret moved their family to Colorado, eventually settling in Berthoud. There he built his days around his boys and the many young athletes he coached. He showed up - on the field, in the stands, and in quiet conversations with a joyful laugh, a generous spirit, and an instinct for making every kid feel important. To many, he became more than a coach; he became the adult who believed in them.

He loved the outdoors and rarely passed up the chance to hike, camp, fish, hunt, or be on a snowboard with his family. Music also carried him across miles and years, especially the many trips spent following Widespread Panic. The concerts were never just events to him but gathering places where friendships grew and memories stacked one after another.

His greatest adventures, though, were shared with Mary Margaret traveling, raising their boys, and cheering side by side at countless games and practices. He kept close to his mother through daily calls and messages, a steady habit that reflected the importance family always held for him.

George passed away at his home in Colorado on February 20, 2026, at the age of 48.

He leaves behind his wife Mary Margaret; his children Trip, Marley, Kirby, Wilkes, Camp, and Addison; his parents George and Sallie Mae Watson; sisters Sara Reed (Glynn) and Lou Ann Laffoon (Bryan); sister in law Ashley Rhodes (Greg) and a wide circle of family, friends, teammates, and young people whose lives he shaped simply by being

His laughter, listening ear, and steady encouragement found their way into countless lives, and they remain in the stories still being told about him. a reminder to those he loved most. "I was made stronger forever and ever knowing you as my friend"- Widespread Panic