Geraldeen Phillips Watson

WATSON- Geraldeen “Gerry” Phillips Hembree, a longtime resident of Jacksonville, died peacefully on Monday, October 22, 2018. She was born Geraldeen Phillips on December 6, 1935, the oldest of three children to Fred & Ruby in Flippen, Georgia. When she was 6 years old the family moved to Miami, Florida. Gerry graduated from Miami Senior High School and went to work for Anderson Dental Supply Company, where she met William L. Hembree. In July 1960, they married and moved to Crescent City, Florida. Gerry became a mother to “Rusty”, her step-son, immediately. They were soon blessed with a daughter, Karen, and moved to Jacksonville where they adopted a son Russell, and had their second daughter, Kimberly. They were divorced in 1972, and Gerry met and married the love of her life, Walter John Watson, Jr. They were married in October of 1973.

Gerry was very active in the Dental practice of William Hembree, and was an active Republican all of her life. Raising four children, running a dental practice and working on a political career kept her very active in life. Gerry was nominated to the House of Representatives in 1966, was a big supporter of Barry Goldwater and Claude Kirk, and she was elected as a U.S. Delegate to the Germany Elections in 1967. In August 1968, Gerry served as a Delegate to the Republican National Convention in Miami, Florida, where Richard Nixon was elected as Republican Nominee.

Once Gerry married Walter, she became a homemaker full-time. Walter and his four children: Johnny, Lawson, Tricia and Libby, made for a family of eight. At this time in her life the only children still at home were Karen and Kim. She was active in the Rotary-Ann and received the Paul Harris Fellow.

She is survived by her daughters, Karen Cummings, and Kim Fewell (Payne), and her step-children, Lawson Watson and Elizabeth “Libby” Watson; grandchildren, Sarah Fewell (25), Kathleen Fewell (21) and Colby Cummings (16).

A small Memorial Service will be held in the Chapel of St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Jacksonville, Florida on Thursday, November 1, 2018 at 11am. Her remains will be cremated and interred with those of Walter Watson, whom predeceased her in May of this year.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorials to be made to the Alzheimer’s Association at alz.org.