EDITH WATTS

WATTS--Edith. Edith Whitney Watts, age 92, died peacefully at her home in a memory care facility in Chantilly, Virginia on February 6, 2022, with family by her side. She was born on September 3, 1929 in Brooklyn, New York, to Frederick Eugene Whitney and Grace Allen Whitney. Edie charmed her hometown of Ridgewood, New Jersey, but it was her summers on Fire Island where she was most at home. There, as a teenager, she could usually be found at the helm of her sailboat winning all the local regattas, and it was there in 1959 that she met her beloved husband of 55 years, David E. Watts. Her love of Saltaire was evidenced by her tenure on the board of trustees, her term as head of the SCAA, in the extraordinary work she did to preserve and write the short but dynamic history of the village, and in the family generations to whom she has passed down that love. No place was more cherished by her, but of equal importance was The Metropolitan Museum of Art. After graduation from Wellesley College in 1951, It was at The Met that she began a career in museum education that spanned 50 years until her retirement in 2010. Edie opened the world of artistic expression to decades of students and teachers captivated by her delight in and knowledge of diverse cultures - from the art of dynastic Egypt to the abstract expressionists, or the art of Oceania to that of Central America. The Met itself was a big family to her, with curators and guards alike greeting her warmly in the halls and galleries. Edie is survived by her three children, five grandchildren, and extended family, who will all carry with them her spirited charm, her gentle toughness, the joy she spread, and the curiosity she engendered. Like all who knew her, they will never forget her laughter, her love, and the ever-present twinkle in her eye.