Kenneth Gordon Harvey Watson

During his 83 years, he was a husband, son, brother, cousin, father, uncle, and grandfather. He breathed life and creativity into his instruction as a biology teacher, department head, and ultimately a teacher to all. He asserted that “The world loves a storyteller” and he loved to tell stories.

Ken attended Adelaide Hoodless Public School, Central Secondary School, and McMaster University; all in Hamilton. He graduated with a B.A. in biology from McMaster University and continued learning throughout his life taking courses at Queens University, University of Waterloo, University of Guelph, and McMaster University up to 20 years after graduation.

Ken started his work life as a teacher with the Hamilton Board of Education where he worked at Westmount, Sherwood, and Winston Churchill Secondary Schools. He also spent 2 years at Benin Secondary School in Nigeria in the mid ‘60s.

Outside his livelihood, Ken often said he was a Jack of all trades, master of none. He built skills through a wide range of activities including church choir, scouting, volunteering at the jail, Canadian Orpheus Male Choir, Hamilton Opera Company Chorus, wood turning, sailor and Blacksmithing at historical venues in Hamilton One of the projects about which he was most proud was inspiring a team to move a pipe organ from St. John’s Presbyterian Church to St. Andrews United Church in the mid’70s. During that time, several hundred pipes were stored in every nook and cranny of his house for many months.

Shortly after retiring in 1996, he provided relief to the mothers of his grand children. Once a week he would travel to their house, whisk the children away, return to provide lunch, disappear for the afternoon, and then drop them back before travelling home for dinner. His daughter/daughters-in-law were grateful as he shored up their resources. Given that the first grandchild was born in 1998 and the last completed kindergarten in 2015, he provided 17 years of respite care that I know his grandchildren also valued. As a result, he fostered an enriching relationship with them and created ripples of positive energy for all those around. During this time, he wrote journals/letters to the grandchildren each week. The letters covered the events of the week from the interesting to the banal striving to capture the golden moments in everyday life. This practice provided a training regime for his writing which, when the last of the grandchildren “graduated” to Grade 1, he rolled into his next career as an author.

K.G. Watson is the author of 14 books. Stories range from historical fiction to science fiction to social commentary. The first few books were historical fiction based on his genealogical research of his family, life in Toronto and Hamilton in the 1830s, and experiments he did as part of his science teachings.

A large number of people are saddened by his passing, but we are warmed by having known him and treasure the memories.

We request that no plants or flowers be sent. If you wish to donate in his name, please consider donating blood, as he was an avid supporter of Canadian Blood Services.

Alternatively, or as well, a donation to:

Quest Learning Centre (https://www.questcentre.ca/)

Southern Ontario Lyric Opera (https://southernontariolyricopera.com/donate/)

The Canadian Cancer Society (https://cancer.ca/en/ways-to-give/sponsor-research?gclid=Cj0KCQiAo7KqBhDhARIsAKhZ4ugCg5Vqkw7eLgm6oFrMQz4b-5R55T5dwSHXAr-jdei-iIcUkdH3DTMaAiNtEALw_wcB).

Celebration of Life is on Tuesday November 28, 2023, from 4 to 8 pm at Ye Olde Squire, 550 Fennell Ave E, Hamilton, Ontario L8V 1S9.