Mary Ann Watkins

MARY ANN WATKINS Memorial Mass for longtime Dolores resident Mary Ann Watkins will be held at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 24 at Our Lady of Victory Catholic Church. Mary Ann Watkins went to her heavenly home Saturday, February 18, 2017. She was born in Kinsley, Kan. March 15, 1924 to Emma (Proberts) and Samuel Oaks. She had one brother, Fredrick. When she was 4 years old they moved to Westcliffe, CO, where she grew up helping her parents with household chores on their family farm. Mary Ann married Ray Watkins January 24th, 1943 and moved to Dolores to make their home. Mary Ann was a homemaker until Ray got hurt in a logging accident. She then worked at Woolworth and the Turquoise Inn while her kids were young. She went on to work at the match factory in Mancos until it closed, and retired as the school cook for Dolores at the age of 78. Mary Ann loved to be outside. In the summer you could find her tending to her yard or in one of her two gardens. She loved to be in the mountains riding four wheelers or on old Molasses, the donkey. In the winter she loved to go snowmobiling. She enjoyed going to "the apple shed" to play the guitar and listen to music. She was a member of the Montelores Catholic Church where she sang in the choir. She was active in the Snobos snowmobile club as well as search and rescue. Mary Ann also enjoyed travelling and being with family. Mary Ann is survived by her daughters and son-in-laws, Sharon & Charles Wade, Yelanda & Gary Hansen, and Regina & Rodney Willbanks, all of Dolores; her grandchildren, Valiena Rosenkrance (Todd), Valerie Weber, Bill Wade (Linda), Jared Chambers (Kelsey), Nick Chambers, Melissa Woydziak (Nathan), Tyler Willbanks (April), Cory Willbanks (Cailee); and 10 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Emma and Sam; brother and sister-in-law, Fredrick & Florella (Wagner) Oaks; husband, Ray, and grandson, Rod Wade.