Halden Gale Watson
Halden Gale Watson
Halden Gale Watson
1933-2023
It is with heavy hearts and profound sadness that we share the passing of beloved Halden Gale Watson on August 27, 2023, at the age of 89, in Dallas, Texas. Gale was born on September 6, 1933, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Freda Beckmeyer Watson and Halden Gale Watson. Gale’s family moved to Swainsboro, Georgia, during his formative years, then returned to Maryville, Missouri, when he was a teenager. Gale’s only sister, Judy Hobbs, nee Watson, preceded him in death in 2020. Gale was a devoted father and husband; his wife of 55 years, high school sweetheart, and fellow educator, Elizabeth “Liz” Ann Watson nee Cushman, passed away in 2010. Gale and Liz were tremendously close and true partners in life, raising three children together. After raising their family in Overland Park, Kansas, Gale and Liz moved to Homosassa, Florida, to enjoy retirement. After Liz’s passing, Gale settled in Dallas, Texas.
Gale served as an air traffic control man in the U.S. Navy after graduating from Maryville High School, later earning a bachelor’s degree in Science in Education from the University of Missouri in Columbia in 1960 and a master’s degree in Education from Pittsburg State University in Kansas. Gale dedicated over 30 years of his life to inspiring young learners by teaching science, most of it in the Shawnee Mission School District at Nallwood Junior High and Shawnee Mission South High School in Overland Park, Kansas. Gale will always be remembered for his handsome smile and grateful, kind, patient temperament. His students affectionately nicknamed him “Mercury” after the chemical element as his initials were H.G.
His immediate survivors are daughter Trisha Ann Watson of Dallas, Texas; son Halden Gale Watson III, his wife Sheradee and their children, Riley, Brittany, Ryan, and Hunter of Nixa, Missouri; daughter Beth Lynne Watson, her husband Ben Hoffman and their children Adah and Lucille of Dallas, Texas.
A memorial service will be held at Hillcrest Christian church in Overland Park, Kansas, on November 4 at 10 a.m. The family requests donations to the Shawnee Mission Education Foundation in lieu of flowers.
