Memorial Service: A memorial service celebrating the life of Bill will take place Saturday, October 13, 2018 at 11:00 A.M. from the Schipper Funeral Home.Luncheon: A luncheon is planned following the service at the Colon United Methodist Church.


William "Bill" Watson passed away on September 13, 2018 in Jacksonville Florida. Family, music and prayers surrounded him.Bill was born on July 27, 1931 in Detroit Michigan, but always called Colon Michigan his home. Bill grew up in a show business family that traveled the country before enlisting in the Air Force for four years during the Korean War.As a young airman, he met and married the love of his life, Marilyn "Mickey" Watson. They had three children (Don, Lisa, and Billy)… "We had one of each!" he would proudly announce with that smile.He used his military radio training to have a long and successful career in the telephone industry. After early retirement as Director of Government Affairs and Public Relations, he started his own government relations firm to continue helping elected officials understand complex telecommunication bills.Bill was preceded in death by his father Monk, his mother Mary, and his wife Mickey. He is survived by his three children, seven grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and three great-great grandchildren.Bill was a Scoutmaster, beautiful skier (snow and water), amateur magician, all around outdoorsman, accomplished sailor, accurate skeet shooter, golfer with control, but most will remember him for his sense of humor, beautiful voice, and for being a great friend. He almost never stayed in a hotel because he knew someone near that place he wanted to visit and who wanted to see him. He would joke, "I have a friend to stay with every night everywhere I go across this country…not so much on the way back!"There will be a memorial service in Colon at Schipper Funeral Home on Saturday October 13th at 11am. Interment will follow at the Lakeside Cemetery, followed by a lunch at the Colon United Methodist Church.In lieu of flowers, Bill wanted to have donations made to the Alzheimer's Association in honor of his daughter Lisa.