Sandy Watson Obituary (1938 - 2018)

Elizabeth "Sandy" Watson died on November 10, 2018, following a long illness. She was born on August 30, 1938, in Altadena, California to George and Marionne Hill. As a young girl growing up in Pasadena, California, she regularly took part in helping to decorate floats which would appear in the annual Rose Parade. She would spend her summers on a family friend's working cattle ranch in Idaho where she learned to ride horses, herd cattle and fix fences. She also learned to fly fish and enjoyed catching Rainbows and Cutthroats in the great rivers of Idaho and Montana. Sandy attended Pasadena High School and then San Jose State College where she earned a bachelor's degree in Business Administration and was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma Sorority. It was at San Jose State that she met her future husband, Bud Watson, and they were married in Pasadena in 1961. For several years thereafter, Sandy and their two sons accompanied Bud as his work involved transfers to new locations including Tucson, Tulsa, Phoenix and finally Seattle, where they lived for 36 years. Sandy and Bud moved to Oro Valley, Arizona from Bellevue, Washington in 2005. Helping young children in need was her passion and for many years she found much joy as a volunteer working with sick children at Seattle Children's Hospital. After moving to Oro Valley, she became an active volunteer at the Assistance League of Tucson where she was heavily involved in their "Operation School Bell" program providing new clothes and school supplies to young boys and girls in need. An avid and competitive tennis player in her younger years, she was active in the Seattle Women's Tennis Association. As she later turned to golf, she was active with the Ladies Golf Association at Oro Valley Country Club. Sandy is survived by her husband, Bud, two sons, Todd (Corinne) of Bellevue, Washington, and Mark in Kalispell, Montana, granddaughter, Kiera, and grandsons Kai and Jarett. Gifts made to the Assistance League of Tucson will be greatly appreciated.