James Hemington 'Jim' Watson

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Watson, James "Jim" age 93, passed away surrounded by family on August 19, 2016. Jim was born November 19, 1922 in Cuba, NY and raised in Rochester, NY. He was a World War II Army Airforce veteran. A graduate of Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY, he met his wife Naurine Northrup Watson while they were both employed at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York. Jim and Naurine celebrated their 68th wedding anniversary on October 19, 2014. They raised their family in Rochester, Minnesota, where Jim was employed at IBM and Naurine was director of personnel at Dayton's Department Store (now Macy's). Jim is remembered as a congenial man with a charming sense of humor. He was honest, loyal, hard-working, respectful of and fair to others, and was grateful for the many blessings in his life. Jim was a member of First Presbyterian Church, Elks Club and was a Mason. Many people benefited from his generous support and guidance through his volunteer work for Boy Scouts of America, Golden K Kiwanis Club, Channel One Regional Food Bank, Rochester Public Library, Rochester Police Department, and Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays (PFLAG), for which Jim and Naurine received the 2001 Friend of the Family Award. Jim was preceded in death by Naurine, infant son Henry James Watson and son-in-law Michael Eastman. He will be greatly missed by children, Christopher, Jean (Alan) Thiel, and Amy (Greg) Olson; grandchildren, Travis Thiel (Roxanne Henderson), Matthew Thiel, Molly Olson (Zukiswa Mpande), Ryan (Ruth) Olson; great-grand-children, Sonja Thiel, Marek Thiel, and Henrik Olson; and his nieces & nephews. A private family remembrance and gathering will be held.

Published on August 28, 2016