Obituary of Leonard Arthur Watson

Leonard Watson was born on the Watson Ranch west of Big Valley on the Red Deer River on May 11, 1921 the youngest to a family of nine brothers and sisters to Henry and Alma Watson. Len’s dad Henry passed away when he was only 6 years old and his mom and family continued to run the ranching operation that was away at life that they had all come to enjoy and many fond family memories have been passed down through the stores of the daily activities that occurred. Len met Sheila Blair in 1945 and they were wed in 1946 which led to a lifetime of togetherness. Len started a long list of various jobs and industries that he worked in, finally settling on welding as a career and continued to do this until his retirement. Len and Sheila had two children Dianne and Allen and continued to follow his jobs until settling in Stettler in 1956 where he resided until his passing. Along the way they purchased a farm just west of Stettler where Len could pursue his lifelong passion of working with horses which led to many outings, competitions and new friends that they met along the way. Len also enjoyed hunting with friends and family as well as woodworking and other hobbies. Len was predeceased by his parents Henry and Alma; brothers Roy, Tom, Walter, Archie and Allen; sisters Bessie, Jessie and Florence; brothers in law Jim (Bessie) Lowther, Pierre (Jessie) Burnstad, Alvin (Florence) Raynard and Claude Blair; sisters in law Helen (Roy), Ethel (Walter). Len is survived by his loving wife of 65 years Sheila; daughter Dianne Button (Giuseppe Piscionieri) and son Allen, daughter in law Teresa; grandchildren: Kerry Button, Colleen (Jay) Zouppas, Kyle (Jenna) Watson, Lacey Watson and Wyatt Watson as well as a great grandson Huck Watson; sisters in law Lorraine (Tom), Mae (Archie), Elaine (Allen), Marion (Claude) Blair and Marjorie Kirk; numerous nieces, nephews and many friends. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 13, 2011 at 2:00 PM in the Heartland Chapel of Stettler Funeral Home. Memorial donations may be made to the Kidney Foundation, Alberta Heart & Stroke Foundation or a charity of your own choice.