Dr. Joseph B. Watrous Jr.

Dr. Joseph B. Watrous, Jr.
of Hallstead, Pa.Dr. Joseph B. Watrous, Jr., 84, of Steam Hollow Farm, Hallstead, Pa., and Binghamton, died Sunday, March 6, 2005, following a devastating illness of 12 years. He was born November 24, 1920 in Dunmore, Pa., the son of J. Bert Watrous and Esther Wilson Watrous. The family moved to Binghamton in 1930. He is survived by his wife of 56 1/2 years, Katharine Couper Watrous; his daughter, the Rev. Janet Couper Watrous and her husband, Dr. Robert C. Kochersberger, Jr., Raleigh, N.C.; his son and daughter-in-law, Dr. Peter S. Watrous and Pamela J. Walker, Hallstead, Pa.; his five grandchildren, Joshua D. Abelow, New York City, Charles W. Kochersberger and Anne O. Kochersberger, Raleigh, N.C., Elizabeth Couper Abelow, a student at Sarah Lawrence College in Bronxville, N.Y., and Seth Walker Watrous, Hallstead, Pa.; his son-in-law, Ralph L. Abelow, Frederick, Md.; a niece, Leslie H. Fabian, North Platte, Nebr.; a nephew, John P. Hilburn, Kinsville, Tex.; three great-nephews and a great-niece; numerous cousins; his aunt by marriage, Miss Mary W. Couper, Johnson City, to whom he was devoted; also his brother-in-law and his wife, Richard W. and Patricia P. Couper, Clinton, N.Y. He was predeceased by his sister, Edith Watrous Hilburn. Since 1930, Dr. Watrous has been a member of Trinity Memorial Church, where he was a member of the junior choir and was an acolyte and lector. He was a member of the Boy Scout troop at West Junior High School and became an Eagle Scout. He graduated with high honor from Binghamton Central High School, and was Valedictorian of the Class of 1942 at Hamilton College, where he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, and was a member of the varsity soccer team. He was a proud graduate of Harvard Medical School, where he was the recipient of their largest scholarship, and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha. He was a private in the Army Specialized Training Program during Medical School, and following an internship in Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Surgery at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N.Y., he served two years in the U.S. Medical Corps, where he rose to the rank of Captain. Dr. Watrous was separated from the Army in February of 1948, and on September 4, 1948, he married Katharine Stone Couper in Trinity Memorial Church, where they had met as children. They became the parents of two sons and three daughters. Dr. Watrous served on the House Staffs of The Boston Lying-In Hospital, Boston, Mass., and The Free Hospital for Women in Brookline, Mass. He was assistant resident in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Bellevue Hospital in New York, and was Chief Resident in Gynecology at Roosevelt Hospital, also in New York. Dr. Watrous practiced Obstetrics and Gynecology in Binghamton from 1951 until 1975, when he moved to Montrose, Pa., and practiced at the Montrose General Hospital until returning to Binghamton in 1979. He retired in 1987. He delivered approximately 10,000 babies, and loved them all. He was sometimes discovered cuddling one of his newborns in the nursery. He had wonderful relationships with his patients, their mothers, and their husbands, and was thrilled in his later years to care for two generations. He was on the staffs of Binghamton General Hospital, Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, Montrose General Hospital, and Wilson Memorial Hospital, and for many years, was Chairman of the department of Ob-Gyn at Lourdes. He was a member of the Broome County Medical Society (which he held in the highest esteem), the Susquehanna County Medical Society, the American Medical Association, the New York State Medical Society, and was a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and the American College of Surgeons. He assisted in some of the earliest work done in Boston for the treatment of critically ill Rh babies, and when he came to Binghamton to practice, he introduced transfusing the Rh babies twice. He was very concerned about proper care for indigent patients, and was largely responsible for the development of the deMarillac Clinic at Lourdes Hospital. In 1991, he and Mrs. Watrous were guests of honor at the Lourdes Ball. In addition to his membership at Trinity Memorial Church, he was an active communicant of St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Montrose, where he was a member of the Vestry, a lector and an usher, and led an adult class. In earlier years, he attended Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church in Pa. He was a devout man who read his Bible daily, even if he got home at 3 a.m. and had surgery at 7:30 a.m. He preached at Franklin Hill Presbyterian Church, Hallstead Presbyterian Church, and St. Paul's Episcopal Church, all in Pennsylvania. Beloved physician, husband, father, and grandfather, Joseph Watrous found great joy in his pursuits -- his practice, his family, and tending his gardens at his farm that he loved. His passion in life was riding his horses at the farm, and he was affectionately known as "Doc" as he raced through the countryside on horseback. He and his wife also raised cattle for many years, and he was particular about their care and feeding. He especially enjoyed family summer vacations at the farm, and the Pa. deer season. He was a remarkable man who was held in high esteem by his patients, their families, and his medical colleagues, as well as his family and friends.
A memorial service in thanksgiving for the life of Dr. Joseph Bert Watrous Jr. will be held Friday, March 11th, at 4 p.m. at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 60 Church St., Montrose, Pa., with the Rev. Elizabeth J. Moulton, Rector, and the Rev. Janet C. Watrous officiating. A second memorial service will be held Saturday, March 12th, at Trinity Memorial Church, 44 Main St., at 11 a.m., with his daughter, the Rev. Janet Couper Watrous officiating. Burial will be private in Pennsylvania. Arrangements are by the Fischer-Scholder Funeral Home, Inc., 269 Chenango St. If you wish to honor the memory of Dr. Joseph B. Watrous, Jr., the family requests memorial gifts be sent to St. Paul's Outreach Program, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, P.O. Box 314, Montrose, Pa. 18801.
GRANDCHILDREN ARE THE CROWN OF AN OLD MAN, AND THE GLORY OF CHILDREN IS THEIR FATHER.Proverb 17:6