Obituary of Rev. Betty Lou Watson
Betty Lou Johnson was born to the late General and Rose Ella Johnson, a Sanitation Specialist and a Homemaker/Beautician in Angier North Carolina on February 19th, 1941. General and Rose Ella moved their family to Phoebus Virginia. Betty was the eldest of four children, she was independent, strong-willed and had an amazing sense of fashion.
On one warm night Betty felt like dancing so she went out to a Juke Joint in Buckroe Beach Virginia. There she met the love of her life, George Lafayette Watson. After falling in love, the two tied the knot in August of 1958 on her parents’ front porch and were pronounced husband and wife. Shortly after, the pair started with their family and relocated to Stamford Connecticut. There she would give birth to five children, Kevin, Karen, Katherine, Kenneth and Karlton. Being a homemaker, Betty had a sense of style unmatched, this led to her work at Lord and Taylor where she was employed for several years.
Betty and George live a full life in Stamford. In 1974 George was recruited to work in Long Island where they bought their first house in Wyandanch, NY. There they would raise their children as well as many grandchildren. Betty enjoyed watching her grandchildren in their pool, which was the first pool on the block. To Betty, family was very important. She enjoyed the holidays and family dinners. She loved games with her grandchildren like Bingo, Kickball, Scrabble, Monopoly, and even jumping on the bed.
Most important to Betty was seeing her family together in church on Sunday mornings. Betty became a member of Holy Trinity Baptist Church in Amityville, NY where she was baptized. She was a Church secretary for over 30 plus years. She was a member of the church choir, Usher board, instructor of Vacation Bible Study and Sunday school. She was ordained a Reverend in November of 2007 at Holy Trinity Baptist Church. She was awarded the Certificate of Appreciation for her faithfulness and commitment to the church school.
In 2011 Betty was honored by Holy Trinity Baptist Church Ushers and received an engraved plaque in their appreciation. Betty was dedicated to higher education and doing so she took classes at Farmingdale State College. In 2014 Betty graduated from All Christian Ministry obtaining her Doctor of Christian Ministry. She was a guest speaker at many churches across Long Island and volunteered for ministry for the incarcerated. Betty enjoyed talking to people and giving positive advice, she was an educator at heart.
On Saturday January 18th, 2025, Betty lost her battle with dementia and passed away peacefully in her eldest son’s home in Elmira NY. She will be missed by loved ones. She is survived by her brother Larry Johnson of Hampton Virginia, her sister-in-law Carol Romeo of Stamford Connecticut, her children Kevin Lafayette Watson (Mary), Karen Lorraine Watson-Jackson (Robert), Katherine Lynn Watson, Kenneth Louis Watson, Karlton Lee Watson. Her grandchildren Jermaine, Kevin, Kenneth Jr., Ashley, Janea, Justin, Kaihchaun, Alicia, Kassie (Dashawn), Tevin, Tatiana and Brandon. Her great grandchildren, Makayla, Justin Jr, Iysis, Oashia, Saniya, Enerie, Makani, Jabari, Isaiah, Zayla, Eineida, Zane, Kingsley, Wynter, Zarah, Kai and Kashawn. She is preceded in death by her mother Rose Ella Johnson, her father General Johnson, her two sisters Anna Jean Robertson and Barbara Ann Johnson and her grandson Karlton Lee Watson Jr. She was deeply loved by all who knew her and leaves behind a host of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends who will forever remember her warmth, kindness and generosity.