Jerome A. Watson

Jerome ("Jerry") Alexander Watson was born at home on 5 May 1932 in Sheldon, North Dakota to Harold Alexander Watson, a school teacher, principal and school superintendent, and Neita Elizabeth Schoeppach, a homemaker. He was the fourth of 6 children and first son to his parents, following the births of his 3 sisters, Elizabeth (Betty), Joyce and Carol, and before siblings H. Houston and Mary Susan.
When he was 7 years old, his family moved from Sheldon to Pillsbury ND and then Leal ND, where his father took different positions within the area's school systems, finally landing in Valley City ND in 1941. Jerry spent much of his childhood in the farm lands and open prairies of North Dakota, often hiking the 4 miles from town out to his grandparents' farm. One such outing on 15 March 1941, led him to spend 4 days snowbound at the farmhouse with just the hired hand during the infamous "Ides of March" blizzard!
Jerry had a rapport with the natural world, often hunting with his father, uncles or granddad, first with a BB gun at the age of 8 before graduating to a shotgun at 12. He fished all of the local rivers, bringing home his catch of pike, walleye and perch for his mom or grandma to prepare for the family. Growing up, he spent his summers out at the farm, serving as an extra hand and learning about livestock and land management. During those times, he hunted for both food and for the management of predators that threatened the livestock. One summer he worked for the local veterinarian, expanding his knowledge of proper care for all the farm animals and accompanied the vet on "farm calls" throughout Barnes, Ransom and Cass counties of southeastern North Dakota.
Jerry went to school in Valley City ND. He liked school, enjoyed learning and was a quick study. He was also involved in many extracurricular activities - he played trombone in the band all 4 years of high school, sang tenor in the choir, was a member of the National Honor Society and lettered in both basketball and track. When he graduated high school in 1950, many of his schoolmates enlisted in the military as the Korean War was ongoing. But Jerry wanted something different for himself, so he went to college - first at Valley City State Teachers College (now Valley City State University) and then on to North Dakota Agriculture College (NDAC, now North Dakota State University) where he graduated in 1955 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Agricultural Engineering. While at NDAC, Jerry joined the US Air Force ROTC.
Jerry pledged and was active in the NDAC Sigma Chi chapter, living in the fraternity house from sophomore year onward, where he waited on tables and washed and dried dishes every school day for his room and board. His activities within the NDAC Greek system introduced him to members of various campus groups, leading him to meet Mary Hagen, a member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority, in 1954. Mary was a local girl from Enderlin ND, about 40 miles from Valley City, and their courtship was a whirlwind of sorority/fraternity dances and formals and weekend dances in Fingal ND, halfway between Enderlin and Valley City. Mary was there for both his graduation and when he received his Air Force commission.
On 13 May 1956, Jerry and Mary were married in Enderlin ND, and following Mary's college graduation later that month, they relocated to Jerry's first USAF assignment in Harlingen TX. Their oldest daughter, Randi, was born there in 1957 and shortly after, came moves in swift succession to Sacramento CA, where Jerry completed his Air Force schooling, and then Salina KS for his first assignment, where Mary taught school.
In 1959, having fulfilled his ROTC obligation, Jerry separated from the Air Force and the couple relocated to Lubbock TX, where he worked for the Oliver Tractor Corporation before transferring to Charles City IA, where their second daughter, Kerry, was born. Their respite from military life was cut short though when Jerry was recalled to the Air Force in 1962, and the couple and two daughters moved back to California and then on to Biloxi MS, Montgomery AL, and Denver CO. In 1966, Mary and the girls moved back to Enderlin ND and lived with Mary's parents while Jerry spent 13 months on an isolated tour in Greenland. During that year, and as often as possible during their moves, Mary taught school. Upon his return, the family moved to Ipswich, Queensland, Australia, where in 1968 their youngest child Andrew was born. When the now completed family returned to the US in 1972, they moved to Ogden UT. After a few years, they left Randi to begin her university studies, then 3 years later moved onto Colorado Springs CO where they left Kerry to begin her college studies, before finally ending up in Belleville IL.
In 1983, Jerry retired from the Air Force after 24 years of service and began his second career with RCA working with the US Navy developing the radar systems for the Aegis class destroyers, which brought Jerry, Mary and Andrew to Medford NJ. For the first time since their marriage, the couple put down roots – Mary became active in community organizations in the area and Jerry developed a low golf handicap. Jerry loved the work he did for RCA and was very proud of it.
Their daughters were married, their first grandchildren were born, and their youngest child, Andrew, began his university studies in 1986 when Mary & Jerry officially became "empty nesters". Mary enjoyed gardening and delighted in flowers and Jerry always helped maintain their yard full of blooms for her enjoyment. Jerry and Mary enjoyed traveling together and saw much of the world. Over 20 years, they visited Germany, Greece, China, France, Spain, Morocco, Switzerland, Italy, Finland, Norway, Russia, Denmark, Belgium, Holland, South Africa, Tanzania, Kenya, Egypt, Mexico, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Peru, and Argentina. They sailed through the Panama Canal and around Cape Horn, visited Tierra del Fuego and the Falkland Islands, enjoyed the islands of the Caribbean, and took river cruises down the Rhine, Danube, Main, Nile and Seine.
After 64 years of marriage, Jerry was devastated when Mary lost her almost 5-year battle with cancer in 2020. He lived alone quietly in their home where he could continue to keep Mary's flowers and watch the birds on the pond in his backyard but finally moved into assisted living, where he quietly passed during the night of 1 August 2024.
Jerry is survived by his sister Carol Peterson (Ty, Valley City ND) and brother H. Houston (Jean, Surprise AZ); his three children and their spouses, Thomas & Randi (Watson) Rutan of Sanford NC, J. Robert & Kerry (Watson) Buchs of Cherry Hill NJ and Andrew & Dawn Watson of West Chester PA; nine grandchildren Ryan Buchs (Steven Fletcher), Caleb Rutan (Sarah Allen), Susannah Bergfeldt (Peter), Jordyn Pluck (Robert), Rebecca Cooke (Jeffrey), Alexander, Jack, Kathryn and William; and six great-grandchildren (Elliott, Nathaniel, Alexandra, Meredith, Amelia and Aspyn).