Geneva Watts 1930-2019

A graveside service for Geneva Watts, 88, of Cleburne was July 19 at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in Winnsboro with Brother David Ward officiating.

She died July 15, 2019, at home with her family by her side.

Geneva Maxine Watts was born in Brownfield to A.D. and Badie (Reed) Hallmark. Growing up, she loved horses. Geneva was very much a tomboy. Her dad broke and sold horses, and Geneva followed in her father’s footsteps. She and her husband would catch wild horses to break and sell.

Geneva married Harold Watts in September 1947. They would have celebrated their 72nd anniversary this fall. After they married, they traveled from Texas to California on an Indian motorcycle. They loved to travel from California to Alaska, and everywhere they went they made friends.

When Geneva was around 16, she shot a cigarette out of her boyfriend’s mouth with a 22 rifle. She could light a match with her rifle. She loved life and loved her family. She was a Sunday School teacher for toddlers in Merkel for several years. Geneva volunteered to help with the Brownies when her daughter, Rita, was young, and volunteered at a hospital in Hillsboro. She was also a helpmate to her husband. Later she drove a dump truck when they had Watts Dirt Construction for 35 years. She was a self-taught woman, doing the book keeping. She also took real estate classes, received her license, and sold real estate for a short time. She was a rancher’s wife, trained and cared for race horses, and traveled all over the USA.

She is preceded in death by her parents, A.D. and Badie Hallmark, three brothers, and one sister.

Survivors include her husband of almost 72 years, Harold Watts of Cleburne; two daughters, Kay Ham of Winnsboro, and Rita Watts of Cleburne; brother, Ronald Hallmark Moran; five grandchildren, 10 great-grandchildren; and five great-great-grandchildren.