Phyllis Jane Watters

If the amount of kindness and love a person shares with the world is a measure of success, then Phyllis Jane Watters has been successful beyond all measure.  It is with sadness that we report that early the morning of September 29, 2021, she left this world.  Yet, she had a strong spiritual faith and was in accord with nature, recognizing that "To everything there is a season and a time for every purpose under heaven."

Phyllis was born on October 5, 1924 in Sac County, Iowa, the daughter of Norwegian farmers, Anna and Oscar Williams.  Firmly planted in Iowa’s deep, rich and fertile topsoil, and nurtured by her hard working and loving parents, she grew into a beautiful, intelligent, independent young woman.. 

The first in her family to go beyond high school, she attended Buena Vista College in nearby Storm Lake.  She obtained her associate degree in teaching, and after graduating, she taught 6th grade and Junior High for two years.  Upon the end of World War II, she decided to return to school again, this time settling in at Iowa State University and working to complete her bachelor's degree in home economics.

At Iowa State, she met a lanky young man with an engaging smile.  His name was Robert Watters.  An engineering student, Robert (Bob) had served in the US Army.  Like her, he had grown up on an Iowa farm and had learned the value of hard work, but he also knew how to have fun, and he made her laugh.  In 1948, they were married. 

In the years after their marriage, Phyllis and Bob had three children: two sons and a daughter.  By the mid 1950’s, they had moved from Iowa to Minnesota residing in St Paul.  After a short stint in Indiana, they returned to the Land of 10,000 Lakes making White Bear Lake their home for many years.  While living there Phyllis dedicated herself to her family and community.  Her homemaking skills were beyond compare:  She was an excellent chef, baker (oh, the desserts!), seamstress, gardener, accountant, and was as skilled in each of these disciplines as any professional in the field.  Not only did her family reap the benefits of her labor, her community did as well.  She volunteered for the PTA, as superintendent of the Sunday school at Christ the King Lutheran Church; served as a guide at the Nature Center, and was a Cub Scout and Girl Scout leader.  Whenever someone needed help, Phyllis was always the first to lend a hand.

Like seeds planted in Iowa soil, her family grew and thrived; And her community was improved by the love and sunshine that she brought to it. 

Phyllis and Robert eventually moved from Minnesota to the Woodinville/Bothell area in Washington State to spend time with their two grandchildren, Elizabeth and Colleen.  Phyllis was their biggest fan, never missing a school function or a soccer match, and often finding a way to have the two girls over to the house for snacks and, oh yes, those desserts! 

She always made sure that the entire family would gather at least once each year, no matter how far they might be spread apart.  She cherished those times: catching up on the latest news, listening to stories, cheering on an impromptu wiffle ball game, joining together in wonderful meals (and desserts!), and laughing a lot.

Love begets love.  The love and goodness that Phyllis shared with family was—and is—shared with others.  One of her favorite biblical passages comes from a letter written by St. Paul to the nascent Christian church in Corinth.  “Love bears all things,” he wrote, “believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.”  To Phyllis love was what connected the generations, like the cycle of seasons, or the yearly planting and harvesting of crops from the Iowa soil.

Phyllis was preceded in death by her mother Anna Williams (nee Axdahl), father Oscar Williams and brother Arnold Williams.  She is survived by her husband of 73 years, Robert Clarence Watters; daughter Shelley Watters (Steven Malmberg); sons Ronald Watters (Katherine Daly) and Gary Watters (Susan nee Callahan); and granddaughters Elizabeth and Colleen Watters.

(The family would like to recognize all of her friends at Woodland Terrace who provided wonderful companionship and made her life richer.  A special thanks to the caretakers from Better Solutions for the warmth, kindness and love that they gave to Phyllis; to Blueberry Gardens for their compassionate care of Phyllis during her last few weeks; and to Richard Edmonds of First Lutheran Church of Bothell who often visited Phyllis, providing spiritual comfort, and even, on occasion, singing her a lullaby.)