Patsy (Pat) Ruth Greer Watkins passed away on May 14 at the age of 93.
Mrs. Watkins was born on July 5, 1932, to Orpha and Orval Greer in Poplar Bluff, Mo. Her family moved to Kingsport in 1948, where she attended Dobyns-Bennett High School. She received a bachelor’s degree from East Tennessee State College (now East Tennessee State University) with a teaching certificate in English, health, physical education, and history in 1955.
Mrs. Watkins taught school in Bristol, Tenn.; Sarasota, Fla.; and Fort Smith, Ark., before moving to Knoxville. In 1967, she began a long and happy teaching position at St. Joseph School, where she taught for 41 years and instructed many second-generation students.
She enjoyed working with middle-school students, planning trips to the Knoxville Zoo, organizing “Reading Buddies” among upper and lower grades, and is best known for “Kite Day,” which she arranged for the entire school each spring. Her students also knew her to be a diehard St. Louis Cardinals fan. After retiring in 2008, she always said she still missed teaching and her students, whom she loved.
Mrs. Watkins had a love for animals and worked for 16 years at the Knoxville Zoo in summer camps and outreach programs (she loved handling the snakes and tarantulas but was most fond of the tigers), and worked in the gift shop.
She also was known for her adventurous nature. In addition to interacting with many of the animals at the zoo, some of her favorite adventures were scuba diving, zip-lining, swimming with dolphins, and travel (by car, plane, bus, and cruise ships). She enjoyed trips with her family to cabins in the mountains, seeing all the sights out west, visits to Hawaii and Japan, and cruises to Alaska and the Caribbean.
Besides her love for teaching, Mrs. Watkins took great pride and joy in mastering the art of cracking and eating crab legs, which was her favorite food. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family, meeting and holding her great-grandchildren, and late-night talks with her grandson, Zach, over Philadelphia Eagles’ games.
Mrs. Watkins is survived by her son and daughter-in-law, Scott and Mary Watkins of California; grandson, Alex Watkins and wife Jenna; great-grandchildren Emma, Andrew, and Milah of Arizona; grandson Zach Watkins of California; daughter and son-in-law, Ann and Ty Norris of South Carolina; sons, Mike and Dan Watkins, of Knoxville; and many beloved cousins, friends, and students.
A funeral Mass and memorial service, celebrated by Father John Orr, was held at St. Joseph School on May 22, with a gathering of family and friends that followed in the school cafeteria.
Donations in Mrs. Watkins’ memory may be made to St. Joseph School, 1810 Howard Drive, Knoxville, TN 37918, or the Knoxville Zoo.
Mrs. Watkins’ family expressed gratitude to Dr. Ahmed, her care team at Amedysis Home Hospice, Gentry-Griffey Funeral Home, and Father Orr, Rita Dunn Cook, Angel Pickering Brewer, and Louise Wyman. And a very special thanks to Andy Zengel, principal of St. Joseph School, who taught with Mrs. Watkins.
Mrs. Watkins wanted to pass on her final words of wisdom to students, friends, and family:
“Learn all you can about everything and pass it on, and do it with a smile. And, in the words of Red Skeleton, ‘May God Bless!’”