Mr. Richard Hopper Watts of Winnfield, died on Thursday, July 13, 2023, in Collierville, TN. He was 94.

Mr. Watts was born on July 16, 1928, to Kenneth Watts Sr. and Lula Hopper Watts. He was a devoted husband to his wife of 49 years, Betty Kelley Watts, who preceded him in death. He was also preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Kenneth Watts Jr.

He is survived by his daughter, Laura Robertson of Dallas, Texas and his daughter Mary Iverstine and husband Steve of Collierville, Tennessee. Mr. Watts was blessed with four grandchildren: Adam Iverstine of Collierville, TN, Sarah Iverstine of Chattanooga, TN, Rachel Robertson of Houston, TX, and David Robertson of Dallas, TX. He was a much-loved father and grandfather.

Mr. Watts spent most of his 94 years in Winnfield where he lived a full and happy life. He was a graduate of Winnfield High School and Centenary College. At Centenary, he earned a Bachelor of Arts in American History, a degree plan which he created for himself and successfully completed, including passing a series of oral examinations. Mr. Watts served as a corporal in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. On returning to Winnfield after military service he worked in the Winn Parish Tax Assessor's Office and, later, for the Winnfield Abstract Company, the family business, which he inherited from his father and ran successfully for 40 years by virtue of his extraordinary work ethic and encyclopedic knowledge of the history of land ownership in Winn Parish. He was a long-time member of the First Presbyterian Church, where he served as a deacon and then as an elder for thirty years and as church treasurer for ten years. In his later years, he faithfully attended First United Methodist Church.

Mr. Watts had many interests and hobbies including reading, history, gardening, politics, religion, sports, music, model trains, and jigsaw puzzles. He relished his iPad, on which he stayed abreast of current events, kept up with the latest sporting news, and played his favorite music. Mr. Watts enjoyed a life-long love of sports, particularly college football and major league baseball. He was never happier than when he gardened on Saturday morning and watched sports on Saturday afternoon. Even as he neared the end of his life, he avidly read college football magazines for the upcoming 2023 football season, trying to get a sense of how LSU and the University of Alabama would fair. Although he loved all baseball, he particularly enjoyed rooting for his favorite MLB teams, the Pittsburgh Pirates, the Atlanta Braves, and the Chicago Cubs. He attended numerous major and minor league games throughout his life, sharing his love of the game with his family. He was particularly proud to have visited New York City in the summer of 1944 at the age of 16, where he saw the city's three home teams play in their respective parks: the New York Yankees at Yankee Stadium, the New York Giants in the Polo Grounds, and the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field.

Mr. Watts was blessed in the last two years of his life to have been cared for loyally and lovingly by his daughter, Mary, who spent many hours taking him to doctor's appointments, checking on him daily, and helping him work jigsaw puzzles.

After a private graveside service, Mr. Watts will be interred at the Garden of Memories beside his wife under the direction of Southern Funeral Home of Winnfield.