Florene Watson

Florene Miller Watson, 93, of Borger, Texas, died February 4, 2014. Celebration of Life services will be at 10:30 am Monday, February 10, 2014 at Faith Covenant Church in Borger with Pastor Les Sharp officiating and under the direction of Minton Chatwell Funeral Directors of Borger. The family will receive guests Sunday, February 9, 2014 from 57pm at the funeral home.

Florene Miller Watson was born on December 7, l920 in San Angelo, Texas to Thomas L. and Flora Theis Miller. Her father was a watchmaker and owner of a jewelry store chain in the Odessa, Texas area. Florene became fascinated with planes when at the age of 8 she took her first airplane ride in a WWI Barnstormers opencockpit plane at Big Lake. My father and I shared our exhilaration for airplanes. When she was a college sophomore, her father purchased a Luscombe airplane so his family could learn to fly. He anticipated the United States going to war with Germany and wanted his eldest children to contribute to the war effort as aviators.

By age 19, Florene had finished flight school and completed her first solo flight. During the next 2 years, Florene obtained her commercial license, trained in aerobatics, and earned groundschool and flight instructor ratings. She was teaching civilian men enrolled in the governmentsponsored War Training Program to fly in Odessa, Texas when the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor on her 21st birthday. Soon afterward she and her younger brother volunteered for service in the Army Air Corps.

Florene was one of only 25 women who qualified for the original Womens Auxiliary Ferrying Squadron WAFS, later known as the Women Air Force Service Pilots WASP. In January, l943, Florene became Commanding Officer of the WASP stationed at Love Field, Dallas. In l944, she served as a test pilot in a highly secretive program to develop radar equipment for planes. By the time the war was over, Florene had flown every type of training, cargo, fighter, and twin and fourengine bomber that the Air Corps used including: Aeronea, Waco, Taylorcraft, Piper Cub, BT13, PT17, PT19, AT6, AT9, AT10, AT11, AT17, A20, A26, P38, P39, P40, P47, P51, SB2C, C47DC3, B17, B24, B25, Lockheed P38F Lightning and her favorite, the North American P51D Mustang.

After the war, Florene married Chris Watson, her former flighttraining student who was a Phillips Petroleum engineer. They raised two daughters while being frequently relocated by Phillips. Florene returned to college earning a BA at Lamar Tech University and a MBA at the University of Houston and then taught college for 30 years at the University of Houston, Howard College in Big Spring and Frank Phillips College in Borger. Florene was a member of Faith Covenant Church, belonged to many community organizations and did much volunteer work. She was also a National Flower judge, a swimming instructor, a real estate and insurance salesperson, a mutual fund representative and a test cook for Betty Crocker.

Florene maintained close ties to aviation with memberships in the Texas Aviation Historical Society, the NinetyNines, the Air Force Association, the Commemorative Air Force, the Womens Military Aviators and the Womens Air Force Service Pilots WWII and others. She was featured in numerous newspapers, magazines and books with photos and writeups and frequently interviewed for television programs plus video and audio histories for university archives and aviation museums. She was also featured in the nationallybroadcasted TV documentary Women of Courage explaining the role of WASP in WWII. Florene also served as national WASP chaplain for many years.

Some of her most cherished honors include the Distinguished Flying Corps Membership in the Kritser Aviation and Space Museum, Amarillo, TX, l988 induction into the NinetyNines International Forest of Friendship, Atichison, Kansas Amelia Earharts home for exceptional contributions to aviation, l995 first woman inductee into the Panhandle Veterans Hall of Fame, August, l996 Distinguished Veteran honoree at the Air Force Military Ball in Dallas, TX, l997 the Daughters of the American Revolutions highest honortheir National Medal of Honor, 2002 designation as an Eagle 4 separate times at the Air Forces annual Gathering of Eagles celebration the National Air Force Associations Lifetime Achievement Award, 2004 induction into the Galveston Aviation Hall of Fame, 2004 the renaming of the airport in her hometown of Big Lake, TX the Florene Miller Watson Airport, 2003 and most importantly in 2010 the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award Congress can present to a civilian.

Florene was preceded in death by her husband of 68 years, G. Christie Watson, and two brothers, LaMonte Miller and Dolph Miller. She is survived by two daughters, Gail Smith and husband, Gerald of Silverton, TX and Jean Roark and husband, Lee of Woodway, TX four grandchildren: Greg Sutphen of Houston, TX, Shelly Sutphen Garcia of Katy, TX, Chris Whittington of Englewood, CO and Clay Whittington of Denver, CO two great grandchildren: Axton Whittington and Blake Garcia and one sister, Garnette Erwin of Richardson, TX.

Florene lived her life cheerfully giving to others and always believing the best in everyone she met. She lived Mark 12:30, 31 . . . You shall love your neighbor as yourself. . . .:

Visitation

MintonChatwell Funeral Directors
314 S. Hedgecoke
Borger, TX  79007
Sunday, February 9, 2014
5:00 until 7:00 p.m.

Service

Celebration of Life Service

Faith Covenant ChurchHa
1501 S. Florida
Borger, TX  79007
Monday, February 10, 2014
10:30 a.m.

Cemetery

Westlawn Memorial ParkH
8745 Hwy 136 - 6 Miles West of Borger
Borger, TX  79007