Charles Hansell Watt III

He is survived by his wife of 13 years, Virginia Meyers Seale Watt, his son and daughter-in-law, Hansell and Kathryn Watt, of Valdosta, Ga.; his daughter and son-in-law, Julianne and Adrian Stowers of Thomasville, Ga.; stepsons: Robert Seale of Houston, Texas and John Seale of Washington, D.C.; grandsons: Charles Watt, Thomas Watt, James Stowers and granddaughter, Lillian Stowers; as well by his brother and sister-in-law, Wylie and Denise Watt of Thomasville, Ga; nephews, Wylie Watt, Jr. and his wife, Abbey of Thomasville, Ga., and Bryan Watt of Tallahassee, Fla. Also surviving are Hansell’s and Julianne’s mother, Jan Adams, and her husband, Augustus Adams of Ochlocknee, Ga., as well as many cousins and extended family. Chip was preceded in death by his parents, Charles Hansell Watt, Jr., M.D. and Julia Rogers Watt, and an infant sister.

Chip graduated from Episcopal High School, Alexandria, Va., in 1966. In 1970, he graduated from The University of the South in Sewanee, Tenn., with a B.A. in English. At Sewanee, Chip was a blocking back for the football team’s single wing offense and was a member of numerous academic and social organizations. He went on to earn his J.D. from The Walter F. George School of Law at Mercer University in Macon, Ga., in 1973, where he was a member of the victorious 1973 Intrastate Moot Court team. He was a member of both the State Bar of Georgia and the Florida Bar, practicing law with Alexander & Vann in Thomasville for more than 32 years before moving to Houston with Virginia in late 2005.

Chip enjoyed serving the Thomasville community in the following capacities: chairman of the board of John D. Archbold Memorial Hospital for 2 years and Archbold Medical Center for 2 years; chairman of First Presbyterian Church’s Executive Committee of the Session of Elders; president of the Thomasville YMCA and Youth Center, as well as the American Cancer Society affiliate; head of Thomasville-Thomas County Habitat for Humanity for 18 years; board member of Presbyterian Homes of Georgia, a continuing care entity of the Presbyterian Church; and past member of the St. Thomas Episcopal Church’s Vestry and the boards of the Cherokee Foundation, Brookwood School, and Glen Arven Country Club.

After Chip and Virginia moved to Houston, he was hired as Executive Director of Medical Bridges, a Houston-based charity, which distributes medical supplies to the needy around the world. Chip later was employed as in-house legal counsel to the YMCA of Greater Houston. In 2008, he began assisting his families in both Texas and Georgia with various projects, which gave him much satisfaction, while continuing to volunteer for various charitable causes.

After Virginia and Chip married, they enjoyed traveling together and educating themselves about other parts of the United States and the world, including a recent trip to South America with friends and family. Chip always enjoyed the outdoors, including hunting, hiking, and sailing on Galveston Bay, Texas and at Alligator Point, Fla. He was an avid reader and enjoyed any topic related to U.S. history. Chip was a member of St. Martin’s Episcopal Church in Houston.

Friends are cordially invited to gather with the family and share remembrances of Chip during a reception to be held from five o’clock in the afternoon until seven o’clock in the evening on Wednesday, the 11th of December, in the grand foyer of Geo. H. Lewis & Sons, 1010 Bering Drive in Houston.

The memorial service is to be conducted at two o’clock in the afternoon on Thursday, the 12th of December, at St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Road in Houston, where the Rev. Dr. Russell J. Levenson, Jr., Rector, and the Rev. Martin J. Bastian, Senior Associate Rector for Pastoral Care, are to officiate. Immediately following, all are invited to greet the family during a reception to be held in the adjacent Bagby Parish Hall.

Honorary Pallbearers are Stewart Baker, Henry Duperier, David Kerr, Malcolm Lovett, Edgar Marston, Hal Means, Larry Neuhaus, Robert Stobaugh, and Richard Wilkens.

In lieu of customary remembrances, contributions in Chip’s memory may be directed to St. Martin’s Episcopal Church, 717 Sage Rd, Houston, TX, 77056; Houston Hospice, 1905 Holcombe Blvd., Houston, TX, 77030-4123; Glacier National Park Conservancy, P.O. Box 2749, Columbia Falls, MT 59912; or the charity of your choice.