Dorothea H. Watkins

Dorothea H. Watkins, 85, of 125 Quaker Hill Lane, Aquidneck Place, Portsmouth, RI, formerly of Garden Street, Portsmouth, died Saturday, January 26, 2008 at Charlton Memorial Hospital, Fall River, MA. She was the wife of the late Charles J. Watkins. Born in Orange, CT on May 4, 1922, she was the daughter of the late James Lawler and Gertrude Donahue Lawler.As a young woman, Dorothea worked as a telephone operator in Connecticut. She married on October 25, 1952 and traveled quite a bit, as a Navy wife. The family then settled in Portsmouth permanently in 1958. Through the years raising her family, she also volunteered at Quaker Manor.She is survived by two sons Charles J. Watkins Jr. of Bristol, RI, Timothy J. Watkins of N. Smithfield, RI, and three daughters Susan J. Watkins of University Place, WA, Dorothea K. OKane of Portsmouth, RI, and Patricia M. Brunelle of Lincoln, RI, and nine grandchildren, Timothy, Charles, Elizabeth, Silas, Hugh, Heather, Liam, Aidan, and Luke.Her funeral will be held on Wednesday, January 30, at 9:00 am from the Connors Funeral Home, 55 West Main Road, Portsmouth, with a Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 am in St. Barnabas Church, 1697 East Main Road, Portsmouth. Burial will be in Newport Memorial Park in Middletown. Calling hours will be held Tuesday, January 29 from 4-7pm in the Connors Funeral Home.In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital, 1 St. Jude Place Building, P.O. Box 1000 Dept. 300, Memphis, TN 38105