Charles "Chuck" Watson

Charles “Chuck” Homer Watson

83 of Zionsville passed away on April 15, 2021, surrounded by his loved ones.  He was born on April 29, 1937, in Marion, Indiana, to Earl Sturgeon Watson and Judith McCormick Watson.

Chuck grew up in Marion, Indiana, attended Marion High School and DePauw University graduating in 1959 with a BA in Economics.  He was president of his fraternity, Beta Theta Phi, and a member of Gold Key and Kappa Tau Kappa.  He was third generation to attend DePauw and where he met his wife, Rosanne Nelson.

Upon graduating, Chuck joined the United States Navy as an Ensign and was assigned to CINCPAC Fleet Headquarters in Communications at Pearl Harbor in Honolulu, Hawaii, where he was stationed for three years.  After leaving the Navy as Lieutenant JG, he joined General Electric (Boston) then Proctor & Gamble (Columbus, IN).  In 1963, he joined Arvin Industries (Columbus, IN)  where he worked for more than 33 years and became President of the Arvinyl Division and Corporate Vice President.

During his time as a resident of Columbus, Chuck was very active within the community, serving more than 12 separate organizations and charities.  Upon retirement from Arvin, he served as the Executive Director of The Heritage Fund and Downtown Columbus Association.

Chuck and Rosanne moved to Carmel, Indiana, in 2006 where he consulted and volunteered with the city of Westfield and participated in his neighborhood organizations with great enthusiasm.

Chuck’s interests were many.  He and Rosanne traveled around the world, loved trying new restaurants and foods, and experimenting with new recipes.  Chuck was a voracious reader who read three newspapers daily, any magazine he could find and books galore. If you knew Chuck, you were the recipient of numerous newspaper or magazine clippings that he cut out and highlighted because he thought you’d be interested in reading it.

In his more active years, he loved playing tennis, having early morning breakfasts at local joints with his friends, exploring off-beat places, seeing the latest movies and completing his daily to-do list of errands and tasks.   His curiosity was never ending.  He loved collecting Indiana art, teacups and wooden birds.  A trusty Swiss Army knife was always at the ready in his pants pocket and a colorful pocket square adorned his sport coat.

Chuck is survived by his wife of 61 years, Rosanne Nelson Watson, daughter Cindy (Jeff) Yingling and son, Andy Watson and four grandchildren:  Claire Yingling, Mark Yingling, Charlie Watson and Drew Watson.  He is also survived by his sister, Carolyn Watson Kruger, along with his sister-in-law, Virginia (Nelson) Combs and brother-in-law, Charles Stuart Combs, along with five nieces and nephews.

Chuck’s family and many friends will miss his contagious smile and great sense of humor.

He was preceded in-death by his parents.

The family will hold a private service.  To leave online condolences, please visit www.flannerbuchanan.com

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Heritage Fund, 538 Franklin Street, Columbus, Indiana 47201.  www.heritagefundbc.org