Denise Evelyn Watkins, 92, passed away peacefully on February 3, 2023 at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre after a short illness.
She was born to Denis and Norine (Sopha) Limbrick on January 11, 1931, in Fort William, graduated from Fort William Collegiate Institute, and received a Teacher Certificate from the North Bay Normal School. She taught school for eight years in Fort William.
She married William (Bill) Watkins in 1952, and he predeceased her in 1989. She is survived by her sons Michael and Christopher, and grandchildren Cody and Kyle Watkins, Aidan, Maeve, and Niall Slack-Watkins, Christopher Watkins, and Tristen and London Watkins.
Between 1959 and 1967, the family moved successively to Otter Rapids, Timmins, Parry Sound, and Renfrew on Ontario Hydro power dam and power line construction projects before returning to Port Arthur.
In 1970, she began ten years of work as a court constable and assisted in the Sheriff’s Office of the Superior Court of Justice, discovering a deep interest in the law and trial work. She also volunteered for five years at the old cancer center.
After her husband Bill’s retirement, they spent their time sailing in the summer on Lake Superior, hunting and fishing at Whitefish and Arrow lakes in the fall, and traveling to Fort Walton Beach, Florida in the winter.
In later years, she traveled extensively with friends and on her own in North America and Europe. She was an avid bridge player and solver of crossword and other puzzles, most recently Wordle. She remained interested in and conversant about current events until her death.
She was a proud Beta Sigma Phi sorority member for 65 years.
A gathering of family and friends will take place on Friday, February 17, from 2:30 until 4:30 p.m., at Sargent & Son Reception Centre. For those who wish to attend, kindly RSVP at Denise’s webpage at www.sargentandson.com, you may also extend condolences here as well. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Canadian Cancer Society.
