1963
Katherine
2022
Katherine Moffatt Watson
November 10, 1963 — January 7, 2022
Katherine Moffatt Watson ("Katesy"), 58, of Charleston, SC, passed away peacefully at home on Friday, January 7, 2022, surrounded by loving family and friends. Although her life was cut short, it was filled with wonderful experiences and remarkable accomplishments. A celebration of that life will be held at 11:00 AM on Saturday, January 22, 2022, at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church, 53 Meeting Street, Charleston, to be followed by a reception in the fellowship hall there. (The service will also be live-streamed through the church website for those who would like to attend virtually. Just click the live-streaming button at https://www.first-scots.org/ )
Katesy was born November 10, 1963, at Fort Ord, California, daughter of Helen Linton Watson and Charles Wyly Watson. When less than six months old, she moved with her parents to Kassel, Germany, where she lived for three years and, among other things, acquired some basic German language skills. In 1968 the Watsons moved to Baltimore, and Katesy had the rare experience for an "Army brat" of completing all six years of her elementary education in the same school. In that setting, she demonstrated many of the fine qualities that would stand her in good stead later in life, including her devotion to her studies, her warmth and concern for others, her gentle sense of humor, and her skill in writing and public speaking. And she received an award from the principal at graduation which recognized her "gift from God to love and appreciate poetic art."
When the family moved back to Germany in 1975, she and her two sisters, Beth and Hallie, entered the German public schools. She studied at the Wilhelm Hausenstein Gymnasium in Munich for three years, and then entered Ashley Hall School in Charleston, when the Watsons returned there in the fall of 1978. She graduated from Ashley Hall with the Class of 1981, and went on to Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, where she received a BA in History in 1985, and was president of the student body.
Upon graduating from college, Katesy took a job with the Georgia Republican Party, which led to her assignment shortly thereafter to the Washington staff of Congressman Newt Gingrich, where she served ably as an administrative assistant. She later worked in several positions on Capitol Hill, culminating in her selection as chief of staff to Representative Enid Greene of Utah, with whom she traveled extensively overseas, including, among others, on fact-finding trips to Australia and Taiwan.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Katesy was a skilled horsewoman, and one of her greatest pleasures was in galloping joyously across the battlefield at Manassas in northern Virginia on the back of her magnificent mount, "Apache," whom she dearly loved.
In late December 2001, while she was a vice-president of the American Gas Association, she was diagnosed with brain cancer and underwent surgery in Charleston, followed by extensive radiation treatments there. Upon returning to Washington, she was admitted to the NIH National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and courageously underwent a second craniotomy for removal of additional cancerous tissue, followed by aggressive chemotherapy. After completion of her treatment, there was good reason to believe that she had beaten the cancer... which, in fact, she had, against all odds. Then, several years later, in 2005, Katesy decided to return to Charleston to be near her family, and to take an administrative position at the Hollings Cancer Center of the Medical University of South Carolina. Unfortunately, she suffered several serious falls thereafter, which led ultimately to her gradual decline over a period of years, though the cancer never returned.
Our beloved Katesy is survived by her parents; her sister Elizabeth Watson Walker, and brother-in-law Daniel Walker, of Bakersville, NC; her nephew Wyly Jefferson Walker of Asheburn, VA; and her sister Helen Linton Watson of Charleston.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in Katesy's honor to a local animal shelter of your choice.
Katesy was born November 10, 1963, at Fort Ord, California, daughter of Helen Linton Watson and Charles Wyly Watson. When less than six months old, she moved with her parents to Kassel, Germany, where she lived for three years and, among other things, acquired some basic German language skills. In 1968 the Watsons moved to Baltimore, and Katesy had the rare experience for an "Army brat" of completing all six years of her elementary education in the same school. In that setting, she demonstrated many of the fine qualities that would stand her in good stead later in life, including her devotion to her studies, her warmth and concern for others, her gentle sense of humor, and her skill in writing and public speaking. And she received an award from the principal at graduation which recognized her "gift from God to love and appreciate poetic art."
When the family moved back to Germany in 1975, she and her two sisters, Beth and Hallie, entered the German public schools. She studied at the Wilhelm Hausenstein Gymnasium in Munich for three years, and then entered Ashley Hall School in Charleston, when the Watsons returned there in the fall of 1978. She graduated from Ashley Hall with the Class of 1981, and went on to Agnes Scott College in Decatur, Georgia, where she received a BA in History in 1985, and was president of the student body.
Upon graduating from college, Katesy took a job with the Georgia Republican Party, which led to her assignment shortly thereafter to the Washington staff of Congressman Newt Gingrich, where she served ably as an administrative assistant. She later worked in several positions on Capitol Hill, culminating in her selection as chief of staff to Representative Enid Greene of Utah, with whom she traveled extensively overseas, including, among others, on fact-finding trips to Australia and Taiwan.
In addition to her professional accomplishments, Katesy was a skilled horsewoman, and one of her greatest pleasures was in galloping joyously across the battlefield at Manassas in northern Virginia on the back of her magnificent mount, "Apache," whom she dearly loved.
In late December 2001, while she was a vice-president of the American Gas Association, she was diagnosed with brain cancer and underwent surgery in Charleston, followed by extensive radiation treatments there. Upon returning to Washington, she was admitted to the NIH National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and courageously underwent a second craniotomy for removal of additional cancerous tissue, followed by aggressive chemotherapy. After completion of her treatment, there was good reason to believe that she had beaten the cancer... which, in fact, she had, against all odds. Then, several years later, in 2005, Katesy decided to return to Charleston to be near her family, and to take an administrative position at the Hollings Cancer Center of the Medical University of South Carolina. Unfortunately, she suffered several serious falls thereafter, which led ultimately to her gradual decline over a period of years, though the cancer never returned.
Our beloved Katesy is survived by her parents; her sister Elizabeth Watson Walker, and brother-in-law Daniel Walker, of Bakersville, NC; her nephew Wyly Jefferson Walker of Asheburn, VA; and her sister Helen Linton Watson of Charleston.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a contribution in Katesy's honor to a local animal shelter of your choice.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Katherine Moffatt Watson, please visit our flower store.
Service Schedule
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Saturday, January 22, 2022
Starts at 11:00 am
First (Scots) Presbyterian Church
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