George Leslie "Beaver" Watkins

Visitation for Mr. Watkins will be held Wednesday, February 3, 2016 from 5:00 – 7:00 p.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home and services will be Thursday, February 4, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow at the Mississippi Veterans Cemetery in Newton.

Mr. Watkins, age 84, passed away Monday, February 1, 2016 at Anderson Regional Medical Center. He was a lifelong resident of Meridian.

Mr. Watkins attended Meridian High School where he excelled in various sports. He was a starter on the high school football team as an eighth grader and went on to become a star quarterback. From MHS he went on to play at Scooba for the infamous Bull Sullivan.

He served in the Mississippi Air National Guard 186th Unit for 45 years where he acquired the rank of Chief Master Sergeant.

His love of baseball and football led him to a dedicated 45 year career of coaching, refereeing, and umpiring. He left his mark on many generations of the meridian youth. He took 3 senior teams to the World Series and was successful at winning two. He officiated high school, junior college, and college baseball and football including the SEC. He was later inducted into the Mississippi Diamond Club Baseball Hall of Fame as only one of three officials ever from Mississippi. He stayed close to the sport later in life assisting on the sidelines with his two grandsons at Lamar School, where Mac Barnes referred to him as “the oldest ball boy in the state.” Mr. Watkins said the time spent there were the best years of his life.

Mr. Watkins married Ouida Faye Morgan February 4th, 1953. On Thursday they would have been married 63 years.

He is survived by his wife, Ouida Morgan Watkins; brother, Ned (Norma) Watkins; sisters, Marie Davis, Wilma (James) Rickles, Elayne (Jimmy) Reynolds; son, William Kip (Sherri) Watkins and daughters, Dawn (Ned) McCormick, Leigh (Ferrell) Fort; grandchildren, Angela (Trey) Brock, Ned (Jodi) McCormick III, Kip Watkins Jr., Jon McCormick, Beau Burns, Hayden Burns, Layne Burns, Carley Watkins, 5 great-grandchildren, several nieces and nephews and longtime friends, Howard Beeland and Charles Naylor.

He is preceded in death by his parents Mr. and Mrs. George Leslie Watkins Sr.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Lamar School Football program.

Family and friends may sign guestbook at robertbarhamffh.com.