08/18/2026
Carol Fern Watson
Carol F. Watson was born on November 21, 1936, in Wayne, Nebraska to Walter J. Simonin and Lois (Corzine) Simonin.
Carol grew up the youngest of five children, her four older siblings being Joe, Don, Lois (Shultheis), and Bob Simonin. She loved growing up in Wayne in her big yellow house next to a little park across from the Willow Bowl — a place that remained a special memory in her heart.
Carol graduated from Wayne Prep and later from Wayne State College with a Bachelor of Arts in Education and a minor in Home Economics. A teaching job in Persia brought this Nebraska girl to Iowa; it was there that she would meet and marry a farmer, Larry Watson. The two shared 66 years of marriage together. While she was originally a city girl, Carol came to embrace farm life. She created a beautiful home in the country. She loved spending time in her strawberry patch and tending to her irises, and she found joy in watching the birds that visited her yard.
Her love for teaching carried over from the classroom. Carol taught Sunday school programs for the Persia United Methodist Church, Abundant Life Church, and Fresh Encounter Fellowship. She loved to be productive so much so that she continued teaching as a substitute at Tri-Center and worked both at the Mustard Seed Bookstore in Harlan and in the offices of OPPD in Fort Calhoun. She later helped many families navigate homeschooling as their coordinator within several school districts. A nod to her love of arts and music, she volunteered with the Tri-Center Fine Arts Program to help keep its programs thriving in the schools. She and Larry volunteered together at the Open Door Mission in Omaha, often bringing grandkids along. The couple loved to travel, including taking trips together with the Tri-Center school board and the Commander's Club. Carol was a big football fan — forever a Nebraska Cornhusker as well as a Kansas City Chiefs (Patrick Mahomes mostly) fan!
However, far beyond Carol’s many accomplishments and interests, her greatest love and focus were her family. She considered her roles as Daughter, Sister, Wife, Mother, Grandmother, and Great-Grandmother her life’s calling.
The mother of four daughters, Carol poured herself into her girls. She loved her 1976 LTD Blue Station Wagon because it enabled her to chauffeur her girls to music lessons, church events, and sports practices. Her girls would tell you that “the teacher in her” never had an off switch whether it was teaching them how to work, how to cook and bake, proper manners, the art of ironing, or how to work in the garden. Carol was an accomplished seamstress, so it is a mystery (and perhaps a point of contention) that none of her girls sewed beyond the basics. A proficient pianist, Carol made sure all her girls took piano lessons as well (but with better results than sewing). The dinner table was a favorite place for family and friends. A place where love and laughter abounded. There was always more than enough food and seating at her table - she was a mother to whoever needed one at the time. Her girls (and grandchildren) would say she was the perfect balance between disciplinarian and their safe haven. Always mom/grandma first, then a trusted friend.
To her nine grandchildren, Carol was every bit as devoted a grandmother as she was a mother. She had a gift for making the little things feel special: a warm towel fresh from the dryer always waited after bath time, and no birthday passed without one of her famous chocolate bundt cakes. She decorated for every holiday, took her granddaughters to get their ears pierced, and never missed a grandchild’s activity. She delighted in hosting tea parties and “mimosas” with her long-stemmed crystal and polishing the silver alongside her grandkids, turning everyday moments into cherished memories.
Carol showed love through nurturing actions rather than grand gestures. And those who knew Carol will remember her dry wit and her love for the perfect quip.
Most importantly, though, were her faith in and her love for her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Her faith was the deep well she drew from and the vessel she poured out from (Prov 31:28 – “Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her.”).
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Larry Watson, and her siblings, Joe (Myrtle) Simonin, Don (Inga) Simonin, Bob (Ruth) Simonin, and brother-in-law Robert Shultheis. Left to cherish her memory are her children Jennifer (Bernie) Watson-Peters of Persia, IA; Suzanne (Jay) Handbury of Neola, IA; Rebecca (Mark) Eldridge of Terre Haute, IN; and Barbara (Shawn) Carter of Harlan, IA. Her nine grandchildren: Alivia (Davis) Jackson, Gavin (Nicole) Peters, James Handbury, Abigail Peters (Cameron Creek), McKenzie Carter (Adam Kajs), Sydney (Trey) Whitfield, Perri Carter, Jenna Handbury, and Avery Carter. Her four great-grandchildren (one on the way). Her sister, Lois Shultheis of Wayne, NE; sister-in-law, Lynette (Dr. Marvin) Dvorak of Omaha, NE; and many loved nieces and nephews.
The family extends a special thank you to Living Well Home Care and her nurses and CNA at Myrtue Medical Center.
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