Judith Eileen Watson, my wonderful wife, passed on Aug. 5, 2024, shortly after 5 p.m. I am husband, Robin Watson, with a couple of short stories.

She was a career accountant and worked for some local businesses. She was the comptroller for Rosario Resort for eleven years. Up until about ten years ago she ran the back office for Ace Hardware here in Eastsound from its start. Her favorite employer was The Brandt’s Landing Marina folks for over 30 years part-time. Judi also gave part-time help to Lake Kennedy and McCulloch, an accounting firm in Friday Harbor. I think her favorite client was me. I had an aircraft restoration business on Orcas for years. She kept me out of trouble with the state and the IRS, so I didn’t have to worry about that kind of thing. She would hand me all my vehicle license tabs and insurance cards when they arrived in the mail. I don’t know about all you guys out there, but I am a little lazy on that stuff. She really made life easy for me in that department.

When we met I had this small aircraft called an Aircoupe. She loved to fly around with me, so I taught her how to fly, and she got her pilot’s license in it. Judi was often seen in that little plane on her way to Bellingham with her mother on a shopping trip. If I wanted to use it (now Judi’s airplane) I had to schedule it. I used to tell our friends that “I lost my airplane in a marriage.” You know…usually, you lose stuff in a divorce.

Back in 2014 I invented these dinner cruise tours to Sucia Island for dinner and a sunset, mostly with friends. She grabbed on to that idea and mechanized it to a well-oiled machine. The portrait style picture of her was taken less than 24 hours before her sudden passing. We had a wonderful friendship together, and I and our friends will miss her.