Antoinette Watkins

Antoinette DiSalle Watkins passed away March 16th, 2022, at the age of 91. “Toni” was the eldest child born to first-generation American Michael V. DiSalle and Myrtle Eugene England in Washington D.C. on October 20th, 1930. Toni is survived by her children Mike, Doug, Diane, and Maureen, nine grandchildren, her sisters Barbara and Diane, and many dear cousins, nieces, and nephews.

Toni treasured family above all else, and she was extremely proud of her children and grandchildren. She was raised in a house imbued with politics and cherished the times she spent working with her father on local, state, and national politics in service of those communities. She was grateful for this great country, which gave her immigrant grandparents and their children an opportunity to succeed. Toni loved learning, politics, conversation, good food, and sports! In her youth she was an academic, loved reading, ice skating, and playing basketball and she was even the YWCA Ping-Pong champ. She was the only female from her graduating class at Central Catholic High School, in Toledo, Ohio, to go away to college. She attended St. Mary’s of Notre Dame and graduated with the Class of ’52. After college, she returned to teach at Central Catholic, and then spent a couple years teaching in Virginia. She met Bob, an Air Force pilot with the Columbus National Guard, in 1956 in Columbus, Ohio, and got married on Aug 10th, 1957. Toni spent the next 23 years as a military spouse, traveling from base to base around the country and cherishing her Air Force family. As a young woman, Toni was comfortable in the company of Presidents or cooking and feeding a room full of fighter pilots. She taught thousands of children over the years and bandaged many a bruised knee. After Bob retired in 1979, the family moved to Northern California, where she reunited with a St. Mary’s College alumnus, taught at St. Raphael’s School, and made lifelong friends in Corte Madera, fondly known as “the Birch Bunch.” In January of 1995, she and Bob moved to Litchfield Park, where she taught and substituted throughout the district until she was 78 years young. In her sunset years, she did a lot of volunteer work. Toni volunteered at the Litchfield Public Library, started a structured volunteer program at the Luke AFB chapel, and served cookies and drinks to the maintenance troops out on the flight line with a program called “Spiritual Maintenance”.

Toni touched many souls throughout the course of her 91 years. She believed in the inherent goodness within people and truly strived to live a life of humbleness, love, kindness, and compassion. She survived the ordeals of being a military spouse, the loss of a child, and still exuded gratitude and appreciation for life and all its twists and turns. Toni loved people and visits, whether planned or impromptu. Although some of us couldn’t come visit because of work, family, or other issues, she certainly understood that everyone has their own lives and though she’d love to see us, she understood. She was cradled in her final moments by all of her children as she made her way “to the happy hunting grounds”, as she used to say. She is and will be deeply missed.

A visitation and service will be held from 9:00-11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, 2022 at:

Thompson Funeral Chapel, 926 S. Litchfield Rd, Goodyear, AZ 85338. (www.thompsonfuneralchapel.com)

Internment – Holy Cross Cemetery (immediately after the service, approx. 11:30)

Reception – St. Peter’s Church, Celebration Hall (1:00 – 4:00 p.m.)

400 Old Litchfield Road

Litchfield Park, AZ 85340

In Celebration of a life well lived-

We invite you to send us up to 3 pictures or short video, which we will collate and share at the reception. Please use the link below. Submit no later than Saturday April 2nd.

We appreciate you considering sharing pictures of Toni, or you with Toni.

https://tinyurl.com/toniwatkins

To view the livestream of the service, please CLICK HERE. 

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the following:

St. Jude Children's Hospital

St.Vincent De Paul

Litchfield Park Library

Library Director

101 W. Wigwam Blvd.

Litchfield Park, AZ 85340