Thomas A. Watson

Watson, Thomas A., 88, of St. Petersburg, died Tuesday June 7, 2005 at home under the care of Hospice. He was born in Winona Lake, IN and moved to St. Petersburg in 1980. He was a decorated officer and B24 pilot in World War II. He received a purple heart and silver star while serving in North Africa and Italy. He graduated from Indiana University in 1939. He served as president of the School of Business Alumni Association. He retired as chairman and CEO of Lincoln National Corporation in Fort Wayne, IN in 1977. He was a member of Maximo Presbyterian Church, where he served as an Elder. He was a Trustee of Eckerd College from 1981 to 2000. He served on the Annuity Board, Franklin Templeton. He also served on the Board of Hospice, Pinellas County. He is survived by his wife, Shari; two sons: James of Roswell, GA; William of Whichita, KS; a daughter, Ruth, of Ann Arbor, MI; two stepdaughters, Lisa Hargreaves of Tallahassee; Andrea Cooley, of Palm Harbor; a stepson, Brian Dodd, Tampa; seven grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and four step-grandchildren. Anderson-McQueen Funeral & Cremation Centers-NE St. Petersburg