June 5, 1930 ~ October 15, 2023 (age 93)
Anna Belle Harris Watson, 93, of Bluff Dale, passed away on Sunday, October 15, 2023.
Anna Belle Harris Watson was born on June 5, 1930, in Bluff Dale, the fourth daughter of Alvin and Effie Harris. From a young age, she helped her daddy in the fields as crop production meant survival. She often said they had no money, but they always had plenty to eat. She attended Stephenville High School, graduating in 1947. She had many wonderful friends from high school who remained her friends all her life. During this period, she attended the Saturday Night Club where she met a handsome young man named Hershell Watson who would forever change her life. They married on November 1, 1947, and moved to a small house on some of the Watson land to farm.
After several years, a “Greetings” letter arrived in the mail and Hershell was off to war. In his absence, Anna worked the place in the morning and then at Convair in Fort Worth through the night shift. Two years later, Hershell returned, and they welcomed Carolyn into their family. Hershell started taking classes at Tarleton under the GI Bill. They went to College Station where Hershell graduated from Texas A&M and then moved multiple times over the next four years. Everywhere they lived, she took classes, ultimately from nine different colleges. In 1960, they settled in Fort Worth where she enrolled in TWC, graduating in 1964 with a degree in Education. She went to work for Arlington ISD where she taught for 31 years.
In 1977, Anna and Hershell built their second home near Bluff Dale. The “farm” was a source of great fun for them, family and friends. Sadly, Hershell died unexpectedly in 1986. Anna continued to live in Fort Worth teaching school, retiring in 1995. In 1992, she married Windell Watson. They decided to move to the farmhouse permanently and Anna rejoined the local community, investing herself in many activities. Windell died in 2002 and Anna remained on the farm for the balance of her life, 28 years. She was the pianist for Bluff Dale Baptist Church until 2022, a member of the Bluff Dale Garden & Study Club, multiple book clubs, Sewing Circle, Just Us Girls, multiple bible studies, a committee member of the Glenn Cemetery, and led the efforts to provide lunch for families from the local community when they had lost loved ones. She was active with the Morgan Mill Community Center exercising with other community members three days a week until 2022. She had an active group of friends she enjoyed getting together for lunch and an afternoon of playing 42. She loved playing all sorts of games with friends and family.
Over the years, she travelled extensively throughout the US, Europe and Israel. For years, Anna and Hershell vacationed with three families including her sister Hettie, camping across the western US and Canada. Each year, they traveled to Florida to visit her sister Rosie’s family at the beach. Many happy days were spent during these trips. Once they were empty nesters, Anna and Hershell learned to square dance and enjoyed a new group of friends and activities. She was always involved and available for family, friends, and the larger community remaining active until the last year of her life.
Anna was a woman of faith, and she lived that faith in her daily life as well as her actions and interactions with others. She will be greatly missed.
Survivors include her daughter Carolyn and husband Jay, two grandsons Jeffrey and Jared, multiple nieces and nephews, and many friends.
Funeral services for Anna will be at 2:00 PM, Friday, October 20, 2023 at the Bluff Dale Baptist Church in Bluff Dale, Texas, with Scott Pace officiating. Burial will follow at the Glenn Cemetery in Bluff Dale. Visitation with the Watson family will begin at 1:00 PM Friday, (one hour prior to services) at Bluff Dale Baptist Church.
The Watson family wishes expressions of sympathy be made in the form of donations to the Bluff Dale Baptist Church.
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