Del Watkins Reading

Published 6:06 pm Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Del Watkins Reading of Indian Wells, Calif., died peacefully, after a short struggle with pancreatic cancer,  at her home, on May 22, 2011, surrounded

by her family, shortly before her 90th birthday.  Del was born June 2, 1921, on a ranch near Baggs, Wy., the daughter of Rancher Frederick Jackson and his wife, Elsie Satler Jackson, who came to this country from Königsberg, East Prussia. She attended Catholic boarding school and graduated from Wyoming Catholic College in Lander, Wy., with a degree in English. Del was married to Donald Lloyd, a Marine fighter pilot in World War II. Following her husband’s death, she married W. B. “Bill” Watkins III in Tampa, Fla., and moved to Thomasville, Ga., in the early 1950s, where she lived for 20 years.  The late Mr. Watkins was founder, President and CEO of Watkins Motor Lines which became the national firm, Watkins Associated Industries of Atlanta. Surviving is a son from her first marriage, David Frederick Lloyd, of Palm Springs, Callf., also surviving is a daughter, Deborah Ames Watkins, of Cazadera, Calif.; a son, Kimberly Martin Watkins, of Alpharetta, Ga., his wife, Danuta (Dana) Graj Watkins and their children Molly Kerin Watkins and Travis Ryan Watkins; stepsons, John Frank Watkins and his wife, Louise, of Lakeland, Fla,.; George Charles Watkins and his wife, Cyndi, of Tampa, Fla, and Thomasville, GA ; daughter-in-law, Anne O’Neal Watkins also of Lakeland, Fla.; and niece, Theresa Kindred Brown and husband Joseph of Thomasville, Ga.; and great-nieces, Jennifer Brown Buller of Parma, Italy and Amy Brown Tulacro of Bethesda, Md. Preceding her in death was her stepson, W. B. (Buz) Watkins IV; and a sister-in-law, Ames Watkins Kindred. Mrs. Reading was a single mother, bringing up her young son in Tampa, Fla., with the help of her mother who also lived with the family in Thomasville, Ga., until her death. Mrs. Reading worked for National Airlines and then Eastern Airlines in Tampa, in the glamorous age of the airlines — the 1940s.  She was also very active in the Tampa March of Dimes campaigns in those years. She came to Thomasville in the early 1950s after marrying Mr. Watkins, and is best known there for several things — first, the 1958/9 renovation of the Classic Greek Revival home, Hollywood, on the original Devereaux Estate, one of the early examples of Thomasville’s preservation movement, and which the Watkins renamed Holly Hall, for the holly trees on the property. Mrs. Reading was also instrumental in restarting the John D. Archbold Hospital Auxiliary and was its first president in the late 1950s. She had the idea for and started the annual auxiliary tea, which not long ago celebrated the 50th anniversary tea. She was the hostess of the first tea at Holly Hall in 1960, and then the third tea, in 1962, when Pebble Hill Plantation was unable to have this event at the last minute.    These annual auxiliary teas have generated tens of thousands of dollars which the auxiliary has used to present equipment to and fill other needs of this regional Thomasville, Ga., hospital. She was invited back as special guest of the event, a few years ago by the auxiliary, when the tea was again held at her former home, when the current owners, Mike and Laura Shea, were hosts for the tea. Mrs. Reading was also prominent in entertaining the Thomasville Entertainment Foundation’s visiting artists as well as the Eisenhower staff and Press Corps during the frequent visits to Thomasvilleof President and Mrs. Eisenhower. In the 1970s, Mrs. Reading and her children moved to Evergreen, Colorado. During these years, she orchestrated and supported her daughter, Debbie’s national and international Hunter competitions in the horse show world, traveling widely to compete in these shows. Twenty years after her arrival in Colorado,she married California businessman and World War II pilot hero, John H. Reading, on a yacht in Oakland Bay and they divided their time between Evergreen and Indian Wells, Calif. Among Mr. Reading’s accomplishments during his 14 years as mayor of Oakland, Calif., were the development of the Port of Oakland and bringing the Oakland Raiders to town. Mr. Reading preceded his wife in death in February, 2003. Since that time, Mrs. Reading has made her home base in Indian Wells. She had a lifetime passion for fashion and interior design, particularly collecting western art of all media and her love of travel was legend, beyond passionate. Only a short few months ago, she sailed from Cape Town, South Africa, to Singapore on a 35-day cruise with her son, David, visiting exotic ports. She was always teased about having been everywhere at least twice. Her favorite trip was taking the grandchildren to Africa some years ago, and having her son Kim and wife, Dana, surprise them in South Africa. She and John Reading traveled the globe and often her son, David joined them, from South America to China and Tibet and since John’s death, she and David kept up the tradition, having a villa on Lake Como, Italy, for several weeks last summer and welcoming family and friends there, from as far flung as Australia. She also traveled with her niece and husband, Theresa and Joe, on a number of international trips from Tahiti to Greece and on three European river cruises — the Elba, the Danube all the way to the Black Sea, and the Saone and Rhone rivers in France. Mrs. Reading always made it a point to meet interesting people from all over the world on these travels and she maintained friendships from the South Pacific to Europe. Those who accompanied or met her on these trips have said they were inspired by her energy, her knowledge of the places visited, her travel wardrobe, and especially her ease of travel and efficiency in packing. The family will gather for a private service in Del’s honor in Wyoming in the next few days. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Archbold Foundtion for the Del Watkins Memorial Fund, Attention: Mrs. Frances Mims Parker, 910 S. Broad St., Thomasville, Ga. 31792 or to the American Cancer Society, 800-227-2345. — Whiddon-Shiver Funeral Home