Kenneth Watson

Days short of his 102nd birthday, on August 18, Ken Watson took his last breath surrounded by his sons, Mark and Ron, their wives, Carol and Anita, his granddaughters, Julia Watson and Lisa Winkless, her husband Wes, and their sons Trey and Tristan, and his partner, Faye Girsh, at the Vi Retirement Community where he lived for 21 years. He was married 68 years to his wife, Elayne, who died at the Vi in 2015.
A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Ken earned his PhD from the Univ of Iowa in Physics and Electrical Engineering. He worked with Robert Oppenheimer and Edward Teller for his postdoctoral studies. For 35 years he was professor of Physics at the Univ of Calif Berkeley, followed by his appointment at the UCSD Scripps Institute of Oceanography as Professor Emeritus of Physical Oceanography.
Ken was a smart, loyal, generous, considerate, modest, soft-spoken man with many interests; he was a valuable resident at the Vi where his technical and photographic skills were appreciated. Before retirement, he was an active boater and participated in many regattas while living in their summer home on the Delta. In the last few years he traveled, enjoyed ethnic dining, theatre, and film with Faye. He was devoted to his family and was an active board member of the Hemlock Society of San Diego. Contributions to that organization in his name are welcome.
A celebration of his life will be held at the Vi on September 7, the day he would have turned 102, from 11:30 to 2 PM, to share tributes and memories and to join his family and friends in a light buffet lunch to celebrate his long, productive, and memorable life.