Arthur Lanier Watts

Arthur Lanier Watts, age 91, of Brownsville, passed away October 10, 2016 at Crestview Healthcare Center. Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 A.M., Friday, October 14, 2016, in the Brownsville Baptist Church with the Reverend Robert Connerley officiating. Visitation will be from 10:00 – 11:00 A.M., Friday, October 14, 2016 in the Brownsville Baptist Church. Burial will follow in the Brownsville Memorial Gardens. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Ruth Schaefer Watts, parents, Claude Dale Watts and Frances Permenter Watts, his brothers Allen Eugene Watts, and Frances Dale Watts. Survivors include his daughter, Carol Watts Dendy (Walt) of Tuscaloosa, AL, his son, Allen Dale Watts (Kathy) of Brownsville, his sister, Patricia Watts Dehmlow of Knoxville, TN, grandchildren: Nathan Dendy (Susan) of Tuscaloosa, AL, Stephen Dendy of Macon, Georgia, John Watts (Elizabeth) of Huntsville, AL, Ellen Dendy Wall (Brooks) of New Orleans, LA, David Watts (Mary Paige) of Birmingham, AL and nephews. He was born in Electric Mills, Mississippi, May 4, 1925, and graduated from Kemper County High School in Scooba, MS. He served in the U.S. Navy during WWII on the U.S.S. Guam in the Pacific theater. Following the war, he attended Mississippi State University and graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Animal Husbandry. He served as a field coordinator for the State of Tennessee Obion Forked Deer Basin Authority until retiring in 1980. He will be remembered for his compassionate heart and generosity. He was a faithful member of his beloved Brownsville Baptist Church serving in a variety of capacities including the deacon ministry. He had a special love for children and enjoyed many years of faithful service in the nursery ministry. Pallbearers include Mel Cox, Nathan Dendy, Stephen Dendy, David Watts, John Watts, George Norvell, Charles Riddell, and Eddie Stewart. Honorary pallbearers include Diane Hooper and the staff of Sugar Creek Retirement Center, the staff of Crestview Healthcare and Rehabilitation Center, and members of the Brownsville Baptist Church Men’s Bible Class. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Brownsville Baptist Church Nursery Fund, 5 N. Wilson Ave., Brownsville, TN 38012 or the Tennessee Baptist Children’s Homes, P.O. Box 2206, Brentwood, TN 37024.