Joseph Dale Watson

Joseph Dale Watson was born on 11 November 1980 to Daniel Martin Watson and Barbara Dale Nunamaker. He spent his early days wandering around the forests of Kalama, WA with his brothers, catching frogs and lizards and exploring everything the Pacific Northwest has to offer. Joe attended Rose Valley and Kalama Elementary schools.

After finishing school, he worked at various jobs before eventually joining the U.S. Marine Corps in March 2004 and graduated from boot camp at Camp Pendleton in San Diego in July of that year. Joe served with distinction as a data network specialist during his time in the Corps. He was deployed with the MEU throughout SE Asia and served a deployment in Iraq at Camp Korean Village in 2006-2007. He earned the rank of sergeant before being honorably discharged in 2008.

After leaving the Corps, he moved to Alaska with his younger brother where he was an avid outdoorsman, spending many weekends camping or taking dirt bikes out to the Knik Glacier at Jim Creek, Alaska. He was known for his mechanical prowess and was part of a supercar club and would, on occasion, drive in modest excess of the posted speed limit. While in Alaska he worked as a lead systems engineer for University of Alaska at Anchorage until about 2014 when he moved to Seattle for a position with Amazon as a lead development engineer. He was known to all as a lover of the outdoors and of all things mechanical or technological. He could have a conversation on just about any topic and was always interesting to talk to.

He passed away peacefully in his sleep on Palm Sunday, 24 March 2024. Joe was very much loved by his family and he will be greatly missed.

A Funeral Mass for Joseph will be held Thursday, April 4, 2024 at 12:00 PM at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, followed by a committal service at 2:30 PM at Mt. Calvary Catholic Cemetery.