John G. Watson, age 85, passed away December 9, 2021. He was a beloved son of the late Malcolm and Isabelle (Lohnes) Watson; loving father of Linda Amaral, Pamela DiQuattro, Jennifer Watson, and Suzanne Knowles; devoted brother of the late Robert Watson and Richard Watson; cherished grandfather of Courtney Amaral, Ashley Amaral, Gregory Amaral, Mikayla Cabral, Melissa DiQuattro, Andrea Matarese, Christopher Matarese, Brooke Knowles, and Quinn Knowles; and uncle to several nieces and nephews including Brice Watson who he was especially fond of.
“Johnny” was born and raised in Pekin, Illinois. He graduated from his cherished Pekin Community High School in 1954, where he lettered in Basketball, Football (QB), and Baseball (catcher, switch hitter). He enthusiastically attended his high school reunions every 5 years until sadly missing his recent 65th due to failing health. After graduation he attended Bradley U and Western Illinois U. Putting his education aside in 1957, he joined the semi-professional Pirates minor league baseball system. Having a military obligation he soon after joined the US Navy, entering the Naval Aviation flight program at Ellyson Field and Pensacola, FL in 1958. He earned his “Wings of Gold” in 1959, becoming a helicopter pilot assigned to the carrier USS WASP and land based at Quonset Point, RI. In 1962 he survived a helicopter crash into Narragansett Bay RI after a mechanical failure, and later that same day was presented a “Winged S” Sikorsky Rescue Award for a recent lifesaving rescue he had conducted.
He served 4 ½ years active duty and another 6 years in the active reserve ascending to the rank of Lieutenant Commander. After his release from active duty he settled in Warwick, RI working sales for Ditto Inc. Relocating to Danbury, CT he returned to the skies flying for New York Airways helicopter service in 1965. In 1966, “JG” began his dedicated career as a pilot for Eastern Airlines. He relocated to Cumberland, RI in 1971 to be closer to his base at Logan Airport in Boston. Achieving the rank of Captain, he was reluctantly forced into early retirement after 23 years of service following the bankruptcy of the airline.
Early in his retirement John resided in Hampton, NH. He completed his higher education earning a Bachelor’s degree specializing in aviation from Thomas Edison State University in 1992. By 1995 he tired of the long New England winters and moved to Ocala then Dunnellon, FL.
John enjoyed bass fishing, golf, billiards, coaching baseball and travel. He had quite a sense of humor especially with puns, and was always trying to entertain and coax a laugh out of those around him.
In 2015 John entered his final phase of retirement and relocated to Rhode Island to be closer to his daughters, spending the last 6 years residing at The Village at Waterman Lake in Greenville, RI.
Burial will be held 11:00 a.m. Friday June 17, 2022 at Glendale Memorial Gardens in Pekin.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation https://www.cff.org/donate , the National Naval Aviation Museum Foundation https://navalaviationfoundation.org/ways-to-give/ , the Dementia Society of America https://www.dementiasociety.org/donate , or your personal favorite charity.
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