Walter Watkins

Walter E. Watkins, 95, of Brenham, died October 1, 2015, in Brenham. Funeral services for Walter E. Watkins will be at 2:00 p.m., Monday, October 5, 2015 at Zion Lutheran Church of Zionsville, with Pastor Pat Lehrer officiating. He will be laid to rest in the church cemetery. Visitation with family and friends will be from 1:00 p.m. to 2 p.m. Monday at Zion Lutheran Church. Walt was born in Nekoma, Kansas on November 11, 1919, to Edward L. and Orley Barton Watkins. Walt''s youth was spent in the Goldendale area of Washington on the farm. He later moved to southern California where he met and married his wife Anna Fiene in 1943. Walt served in defending his country in both World War II and the Korean Conflict. After his service in the Army, Walt attended electronics school in Los Angeles and subsequently worked in various technical jobs before joining the Martin Marietta Company in Littleton, Colorado, where he worked in developing the rocket engines and other equipment for the race to the moon and other space programs. After retiring from Martin Marietta and finishing all the projects he could think of at their home in Littleton, Colorado, Walt and Anna moved to their nephew''s ranch near Brenham where the projects were endless. Walt and his surviving wife Anna lived happily at the ranch until health issues required they move to Kruse Village. Walt was a man of many talents. He could fix anything and if he did not have a part for a job, he would just make one. He was influential in the lives of all his nieces and nephews. Walt was one of the Greatest Generation people. Walt was a member of the Zion Lutheran Church, the Graham Lodge 20 A F and A M and the Arabia Shrine Temple. Survivors include his wife Anna Watkins of Brenham; brothers, Leroy Watkins and Bud Watkins; sister, Marjorie; and numerous nieces and nephews. Pallbearers will be Harold Korell, Don Korell, David Korell, Robert Heath, Chris Williams and Jack Showers. Funeral arrangements for Walt Watkins are entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 W. Main St., Brenham, TX, 979-836-4564. To post a tribute to the family, visit www.memorialoakschapel.com.