WILLIAM WATSON

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his Aunt Mary Ellen Watson of Jane Lew, West Virginia, his Uncle Minter Watson of Lewis County, West Virginia, his cousins Bill Neely of Wilmington, North Carolina and Luellen Laurenti of Bloomington, Illinois, and granddaughter Ava Grace Neumann of Norfolk, Virginia, brother-in-law James T. Linaberger and sisters-in-law Elsa Linaberger and Sandra Linaberger, of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and brother-in-law Lt. Colonel Charles A. Linaberger of Frederick, Maryland.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mara Linaberger Watson, his children, Lynn Ellen Watson Neumann of Norfolk, Virginia and Edward Allen Watson of Canaan Valley, West Virginia, and his granddaughter, Audrey Ellen Neumann of Norfolk, Virginia and nieces Anne Linaberger of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Mara Linaberger of Harmony, Pennsylvania, and Elizabeth Linaberger, of Sterling, Virginia.

He graduated from Jane Lew High School, in Jane Lew, Lewis County, West Virginia, in 1954 and received a Bachelor of Arts Degree from West Virginia Wesleyan College in 1958. In 1961, he graduated from the George Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C. with the Degree of Juris Doctor, with Honors. While at George Washington, he served as a member of the Board of Editors of the Law Review.

After graduating from Law School, he was recruited by Wellsburg Attorney Abraham Pinsky to join his noted firm which became Pinsky, Mahan, Barnes, and Watson, and was subsequently known as Pinsky, Mahan, Barnes, Watson, Cuomo, and Hinerman, and later William E. Watson & Associates. For more than 60 years, he and his firm served clients, big and small, throughout West Virginia. Even after retiring from the active practice of law, he enjoyed his weekly office day where he would visit with friends, former clients, and remain current with events.

He was a member of the Wellsburg United Methodist Church, serving several decades as both a Trustee and the Chairman of its Administrative Board. In 1995, he was elected as the Chancellor of the West Virginia Conference of the United Methodist Church, serving in that capacity for many years advising and representing both Bishops and local churches.

He was a member of the West Virginia Trial Lawyers Association, serving on its Board for many years and serving as its President. In 1986 and 1990, he was selected by the WVTLA as its outstanding member. He was also recognized as a member of the American Board of Trial Advocates and in the year 2000, was selected as a fellow of the West Virginia Bar Foundation.

He was active in the Democratic Party both at the State and National level. In 1972-73, he served as State Chairman of the West Virginia Democratic Party. He was a long-time trusted confidant of and advisor to State and National political leaders. In 1981, he was appointed by Governor John D. Rockefeller, IV to a six year term on the West Virginia Board of Regents, serving as President of the Board for two of these years. He also served as Chairman of the West Virginia State Racing Commission. In this capacity, he testified before Congress on the dangers of pain killing drugs that were frequently used in the horse racing industry.

He was a loyal alumnus of West Virginia Wesleyan College. He served multiple terms on the WVWC Board of Trustees, concluding with service as its Chairman. In recent years, he and his wife, Mara Linaberger Watson, an alumna of West Virginia Wesleyan College, endowed the restoration of what are now known as the Watson Chimes located in the Wesley Chapel on WVWC’s campus in Buckhannon, West Virginia.

His service to the Community was well known as he served as City Attorney for Wellsburg, West Virginia, was on the Boards of the Boy Scouts of America, the House of the Carpenter and the Brooke County United Way, and was an active member of other fraternal organizations including the William Blackstone American Inn of Court and the Kappa Alpha Order’s Hamilton Province Court of Honor. His long service to Brooke Hills Park was recognized by its Board through the naming of the William E. Watson Clubhouse which serves as the Park’s Headquarters and as the site of numerous community events throughout each year.

He enjoyed downhill skiing, reading, listening to music and attending concerts. He was well known for and easily recognized during his frequent long walks throughout Wellsburg’s downtown and nearby neighborhoods. He especially loved spending time with his family at the lake in Jane Lew.

During his lifetime, he was the very embodiment of the advice that Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., then a Professor at Harvard Law School, gave to his students in 1886, “. . . a man may live greatly in the law . . . . ” In living his life, William E. Watson served his clients, his community, and his Country.

Family and friends will be received on Monday July 1, 2024 from 5:00pm to 7:00pm at the Chambers Funeral Home, 1030 Main Street, Wellsburg, WV (304-737-3551).

Funeral services will be conducted on Tuesday July 2, 2024 at 11:00am at the Wellsburg United Methodist Church, 11th and Charles Streets, Wellsburg, West Virginia (304-737-0488).

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Mary Ellen Watson Scholarship at West Virginia Wesleyan College, Buckhannon, West Virginia 26201 or to the Wellsburg United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 331, Wellsburg, West Virginia 26070.

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