John Watkinson

John Watkinson passed away on June 3, 2026, just shy of his 91st birthday. He was born on June 5, 1935 in Howe Bridge, Manchester, England to the late James and Gertrude (Rogers) Watkinson. On November 30, 1957 he married his beloved wife Elizabeth "Sheila" (Marrow) Watkinson. She caught his eye when he saw her at a dance he and his band were performing at and it was love at first sight!

John immigrated to Buffalo, NY in 1956 and worked hard to send money home to his fiancé Sheila. The following year, Sheila joined him in NY where they got married and raised their family. John completed his degree in Chemistry, worked in Buffalo, and in 1966 he and his family moved to Westchester County where he started his work as a Chemist. He worked for Union Carbide in Tarrytown, NY for over 25 years.

In his younger years, John was an avid tennis player and also loved golfing. He had a lifelong interest in the stock market, enjoyed following market trends, and daytrading.He was also very interested in the history of the Royal family and British history in general and did a lot of reading up on those topics.

Although he didn't always live close to his family members, John was very proud of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren and always celebrated their accomplishments.

John is survived by his children: Peter Watkinson and his wife Fan, and Christine Kelleher and her husband James; his grandchildren: Fannie Watkinson, William Watkinson and his wife Burgess, Kerri Cabibbo and her husband Dave, and Sean Kelleher; his great-grandchildren: Ronan and Declan Cabibbo; his sister Margaret Maung and her husband Win; and his niece and nephew Susannah and John.

He was predeceased by his beloved wife Sheila.

A Memorial Mass will be announced at a later date.

Please consider a donation in John's memory to St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital www.stjude.org