ST. MARY PARISH, LA. Obituary for: WATKINS, CHARLES CLARENCE, SR. Submitted by: Louis Lavedan. Source: Franklin Banner-Tribune, Morgan City Daily Review; St. Mary Parish, La. Thu, 2014-03-13 Died: Saturday, March 8, 2014 ======================================================================= Copyright. All rights reserved. http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgenweb.org/volunteers/copyright.shtml ======================================================================= WATKINS, CHARLES CLARENCE, SR. Wake services will be held on Friday, March 14, 2014 at 7 p.m., at Triune Church of God in Christ, 1118 Barrow Street in Franklin, Louisiana and funeral services will be held on Saturday, March 15, 2014 at Gethsemane Church of God in Christ, 701 E. Pinhook Road in Lafayette, Louisiana, for the Rev. Charles Clarence Watkins Sr. He passed away surrounded by family and friends on March 8, 2014 at 11:30 p.m., at Lafayette General Hospital. Visitation will be observed on Friday at Triune Church from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday from 9 a.m. to the time of service at Gethsemane Church. Services will be conducted by Bishop Roy L. H. Winbush. Interment will be in Calvary Cemetery. Rev. Watkins was born on June 11, 1931 in St. Louis, Missouri to the late George Watkins and Sylvia Ranklin Watkins. His family later moved to Nashville, Tennessee. He graduated from Haynes High School where he excelled in track and field and basketball. He served his country during the Korean War and continued in the Army Reserve until his retirement from the military in June of 1991. In 1954, he moved to Lafayette, where he was introduced to and later married Bernice Grace Andrews. To this union was born three children, Sylvia, Charles Jr. and Ella. He was a graduate of USL (now ULL) where he received his bachelor of liberal arts degree in 1967 and master of science degree in 1976. He worked for the state of Louisiana as a counselor with the Employment Office and also as a case worker for the WIN program. He answered the call to the ministry in 1968 under the leadership of Bishop Roy L. H. Winbush at the Gethsemane Church of God in Christ. He later founded and served as pastor of the Triune Church of God in Christ in Franklin for 42 years. After the death of his first wife, he was joined in matrimony to Nellie Green Watkins in 1979, and was happily married until the time of his death. He is survived by his wife of 34 years, Nellie Green Watkins of Lafayette; his son, Charles (Pauline) Jr. of Fresno, Texas; his daughters, Sylvia Richard and Ella (Alton) Kilchrist of Lafayette; eight grandchildren, Nicole Watkins and Sibienne Watkins of Austin, Texas; Nicholas Richard, Phylicia Richard and Courtney Richard of Lafayette; Trinity Kilchrist and Kaya Kilchrist of Lafayette; 11 great grandchildren; in-laws, family, friends and the Triune COGIC congregation. He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife and grandson, Damien Rodriguez Watkins. Arrangements have been entrusted to Syrie Funeral Home, Inc. of Lafayette, La. ===================