Gladys B. Watkinson

Gladys B. Watkinson, age 87 years, of Raritan Township, NJ, died on Thursday, June 16, 2011 in the Hunterdon Care Center, Raritan Township, NJ.

Born in Staten Island, NY, April 19, 1924, daughter of the late Charles W. and Agnes Nash Benfield, she had resided in Raritan Township since 1960, having formerly lived in Maplewood and Chatham, NJ.

A 1942 graduate of Columbia High School, Maplewood, NJ, she went on to earn her B.S. in Nursing from Skidmore College, Saratoga Springs, NY. She was a Nurse at both Overlook Hospital, Summit, NJ and at the Hunterdon Medical Center, Raritan Township, NJ during the 1960’s and later was a volunteer nurse at the Hunterdon Medical Center for over thirty years.

Mrs. Watkinson was a member of the Flemington Presbyterian Church, Flemington, NJ for over a half-century. She was a Deacon, Elder and a founding member of the Flemington Presbyterian Church Bell Choir.

An accomplished pianist and piano teacher for thirty years, she was an avid bridge player and was a member of the Flemington Womans Club and a former President of the American Field Service of Hunterdon County, NJ.

She was pre-deceased by a brother, Charles Benfield, a United States Navy Pilot killed in World War II and by Peter Moyer, for whom she was guardian.

Surviving are her husband of sixty-five years, William T. Watkinson; three sons, W. Thomas III and Edmund C. and his wife Pamela of Raritan Township, NJ and Andrew H. of High Bridge, NJ; and four grandchildren, Kevin and his wife, Jen, Rachel, Garrett and Charles. Gladys and William also help to raise and guide four other children, David, Scott, Ricky and Peter.

Funeral Services will take place Monday at 11:00 a.m. in the Flemington Presbyterian Church, 10 East Main Street, Flemington, NJ under the direction of the Holcombe-Fisher Funeral Home, 147 Main Street, Flemington, NJ. Interment will follow in Prospect Hill Cemetery, Capner Street, Flemington, NJ. Calling hours will be Sunday from 6:00-8:00 p.m. in the Funeral Home. Please visit www.holcombefisher.com for further information or to send condolences.

Memorial contributions may be made to Hunterdon Hospice, 2100 Wescott Drive, Flemington, NJ 08822.