Roy Watson

Roy Watson, June 3, 1929 – July 11, 2024

Roy Watson, (95), of Moneta, Virginia passed away July 11, 2024. He was surrounded by his four sons Robert, John, Tom, Jim, and oldest Granddaughter Sarah. Roy was born to the late Wade and Sarah Elizabeth (Daugherty) Watson on June 3, 1929, in Danville, OH. He graduated from Ohio State University in 1950 with a Bachelor of Science degree in horticulture. He met his wife, Ginny, while in High School, in Wooster, Ohio. He literally swept her off her feet with his Vespa Scooter and side car. Roy spent his professional career in food processing and as a food packaging engineer. Roy started in Genoa, OH at a vegetable canning plant for Stokley- Van Camp. He then spent eleven years at Post Cereals in Battle Creek, Michigan, known as the cereal capital of the world. There, he worked as a packaging engineer, followed by twenty-two years in White Plains, NY at Birds Eye and General Foods Corporation as a new package engineer specializing in frozen foods. Roy’s professional claim to fame was receiving a patent for General Foods Cool Whip packaging. He retired in 1986. Soon after retiring he and Ginny moved to Moneta, VA where they built a beautiful home on Smith Mountain Lake.

Roy is preceded in death by his wife Ginny of sixty-seven years, his parents, Wade and Sarah, his three brothers and their wives, George and Helen, William and Marty, and Thomas and Helen Watson. He is survived by his four sons, Robert L. and wife Lila of Springfield, VA, John R. and wife Robin of Wirtz, VA, Wade T. of Canton, GA, and James R. and Maria of Surfside, FL. Roy was a beloved grandfather who is survived by nine grandchildren, Sarah Swan and her husband Caleb, Jim Watson, Scott Watson and his wife Alina, Erica Sauer and her husband Stephen, Isabella Watson, Jenna Watson, Megan Watson, Melissa Rasowsky and her husband Thomas Woodburn and Emily Rasowsky and her husband Andrew Berkowitz. Roy was a beloved great-grandfather who is survived by fourteen great grandchildren. He was also dearly loved by numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins.

Throughout his life, Roy busied himself helping Ginny with her numerous projects, such as church administration duties, sewing and quilting businesses, Smith Mountain Lake Quilt Guild, building displays for her antiquities, booths for her trade shows, and joining her at numerous conventions. His hobbies were fishing with his sons, carpentry, home, car, boat, and dock repairs. He loved singing in community choirs, volunteered as a reading coach at Butler Elementary School, and a water ski instructor to generations of Watson’s and extended family visitors at Smith Mountain Lake.

Roy’s family will always cherish his love for family, nature, his generosity, dry sense of humor, and his warm welcoming smile when we would all invade he and Mom’s home every holiday. They made their lake home a welcoming sanctuary for all who walked through the door.

A Celebration of the Resurrection and Commendation of Roy Watson to be held at 11:00 on Saturday, August 17th at Trinity Ecumenical Parish, Moneta, VA. The family requests in lieu of flowers contributions may be made to Trinity Parish's Family Ministry.