Mom was an excellent crafter and a notable cook, a truly gifted musician and seamstress. She had an eye for detail and an uncanny ability to find the flyspeck in the ointment of everything we did as children – well, candidly, as adults too. She loved fiercely and made sure we always had the most amazing Halloween costumes (made by hand of course). In her early 20s, as a young mom, she was the only parent we knew who would hop on a plane to deliver a quote to a company in Mexico, then come home and make sit-upons with us for Girl Scouts.

Ann Marie Donaldson Watson was, in short, a bit of a force of nature when she wanted to be, but a devoted and cherished mother, grandmother, wife, aunt, sister, and friend who made a real and abiding impact on everyone she loved. Ann was born May 10, 1939, in Monticello, Arkansas. When she was 10, the family moved to Texas, to eventually settle in Galena Park. In high school, Ann was first chair and section leader in the band on alto saxophone. She was a representative to Grand Assembly and a Worthy Advisor for her local chapter of Rainbow Girls and would continue into adulthood to be active in the Order of the Eastern Star. Ann met the love of her life (John Edwin Watson) in high school. I don't know if it was love at first sight, but by junior year they were inseparable. They married at 18 and dove head first into building a family and life together in Pasadena, Texas.

Ann was extremely talented with her hands. She was very artistic, could play almost anything on the piano with no more than a treble scale prompt, and typed over 100 words a minute. To make the most of this last skill, she started her career as an office assistant working at Southmore Hospital and would later move to industry as an executive secretary with Stewart and Stevenson. She was also a strong believer in community service. As members of Park Temple Baptist Church, Ann and Edwin were leaders in the music program and participated in numerous mission projects, both locally and in Mexico. Music would go on to play a pivotal role in the life of the Watson family for more than three decades including an active music ministry and making singing and playing instruments a part of the lives of their children and grandchildren.

After she became a grandmother, Ann dedicated her life to making the world a fun and safe place for small children. She ran an in-home day care and studied Early Childhood Education at Lone Star College. Edwin passed in 1999 and Ann moved to Plano, Texas where she would become a lay coach for Grief Recovery through the First United Methodist Church and begin teaching 4-year-olds at First Baptist Church Day School. Ann would eventually make her way back south to Magnolia and The Woodlands, Texas and continue being active in her church and community as long as she was able to do so.

Ann's journey through life was guided by her love of God and willingness to make lemonade when life handed out lemons. She loved to travel, spend time with friends and family and was always game for whatever came her way. She lived as large a life that opportunity and being only 5 feet tall would allow, and passed away on July 25 with the peace and faith that she would soon be reunited with her husband and lovely sister Dawn in the next chapter. Ann is survived by a sister, JoAnn Donaldson (Pat Winkler), three daughters, Robin Newman (Rob Newman), Joy Grandolfo, and Tammy Crabtree (Robby Crabtree), 9 grandchildren (Kailey Newman, Jordan Delgadillo, Regan Taylor, Tabitha Sineath, Brandon Marcantel, Taylor Justice, Jennifer McCain, Sheresa Wilke, and Adaline Crabtree), 10 great-grandchildren, and countless other family members and friends. A graveside service is planned for August 17, 2024 at 10:00 AM, Klein Memorial Park, 32539 Highway 249, Pinehurst