Gus was born on June 27, 1931 in Emporia, Virginia. His parents were Augustus Wright Watkins, Sr. and Francis Goodwyn Watkins. Gus attended the United States Naval Academy (Annapolis) for one year, followed by one year at Danville Technical Extension, and two years at Virginia Tech. While at Virginia Tech, Gus was inducted into Tau Beta Pi, an honorary fraternity for academics. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. Gus served in the United States Army. While in Virginia, he worked for Bank in Virginia. He moved to Winston-Salem when he was hired as an engineer at Western Electric. He worked for Western, which became AT&T, for the remainder of his career.
While working at Western Electric, Gus met the love of his life, Lee Vaught. They married on March 15, 1958. They had two sons, Derek and Brian. Gus and Lee were very active members at Parkway Chapel. He was also a member of Lion’s Club International. There were several hobbies that Gus enjoyed: gardening; woodworking; and yard work. He adored their place at the lake at Bugg’s Island, Virginia, enjoying boating, sailing, swimming and jet skiing.
Gus was predeceased by his parents, his sister Anne Watkins White and his loving wife. He is survived by his brother Gordon Watkins(Kay), son Derek Watkins, grandson Matthew Watkins, son Brian Watkins (Judy), grandsons Andy Watkins (Brittany) and Ben Watkins (Brittany).
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trellis Supportive Care - online at trellissupport.org or Alzheimer’s Association - online at act.alz.org. The family would like to thank Brookdale Reynolda Road, Brookdale Winston-Salem and Trellis for the excellent care given to Gus.
A graveside service for Augustus will be held Monday, May 13, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Forsyth Memorial Park.
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