Allen E. Watt

Last September, Allen Watt enjoyed three celebrations of his 100th birthday with his club, neighbors, and family. On May 9, 2014, he passed away fairly easily with daughter Carol Watt by his side. It is no surprise that he simply died of old age. Of course, it's the story between 1913 and 2014 that matters.

He was born September 18, 1913, in Toronto, fourth of five sons, to Arthur Watt and Maude Elliot Watt. He is predeceased by all relatives except his daughter and his nephews and nieces and their families.

During the Depression, he had various jobs. First, he delivered ice blocks to homes on his kid's wagon (from a collision he contracted tetanus, which caused his baldness. . . . thank goodness he had a nicely shaped head). As a teen, he parked cars at a horse racetrack, worked at a sailing club, and graduated from a technical high school. However, tech school did not mean that the humanities were excluded. Allen recalled fondly playing Festus in a school production of Twelfth Night. Aside from taking a few classes later for pleasure, high school was the end of his formal education, as it was for most of that era.

Gradually he gained manufacturing expertise by working for several companies in various positions. During WW II, he met Alice Russell, who was working on Sten gun assembly lines. They courted and were married in 1943; Carol arrived the next year. In 1954, Allen moved to the South Bay in search of warm winters and a better job. He found both, with Honeywell hiring him as a process engineer, a job he loved because he was constantly problem solving anything related to production efficiency and quality.

In 1955, Alice and Carol joined him, and in 1958 they bought the house in Hollywood Riviera where Alice and Allen lived the rest of their lives. Alice passed away in 2006. For over thirty years they often visited Carol in Eugene, Oregon, as she did them here, but they wouldn't move away from sunny California..

They supported her education both financially and intellectually. Perhaps her future career as an English instructor began when he pointed out that "Love Me Tender" should be "Love Me Tenderly." He was a hound dog for detail. He taught by example, encouragement, and yes a lot of explanation. He did like to provide specifics, bless his lovely mind.

Once a homeowner, Allen joined the Hollywood Riviera Sportsman's Club. Besides several stints as president, the many years as the Philanthropic Committee chair were deeply rewarding for him. When he was honored at its fall dinner, two of his toasters recalled the many times Allen attended to the needs of his neighbors and the several generations of children who found in him a friend and grandfatherly mentor. For decades, Al was busy in his garage but left the door open for walk-ins.

He worked as a process engineer into his seventies and enjoyed two trips to Europe in that role as well as many to Tijuana when Honeywell relocated its Gardena production there. In "retirement," Allen went to Mexico City as a senior volunteer for a Peace Corps kind of organization to increase a company's production efficiency, and he had his own burglar alarm business. In his late eighties, Al earned a patent for his hockey skate blade sharpener, refining it and marketing it into his nineties.

Allen loved sailing, making wine, recording music, and gardening, plus preserving the fruits of this labor. He retired from these activities but continued to exercise daily and enjoy music and cuisines from around the world. He had great neighbors and wonderful people who cared for him lovingly and expertly in recent years. On one of her frequent visits, Carol heard her dad say to someone on the phone, "Well, I've had a good ride: I've learned a lot and met a lot of really interesting people."

If there is a recipe for a long happy and healthy life, Allen's was to care about others, be curious about the hows and whys of things, be physically active, enjoy a glass of dry red wine, and be grateful for life's bounty. He loved and was and is loved.

Many thanks to those who have already expressed their gratitude, respect, and love for this good man.

The funeral is at the Green Hills Memorial Chapel, 27501 S. Western Avenue, Rancho Palos Verdes, 310-831-0311, on Friday, May 16, 2014, 3 pm, in the chapel, followed by a brief ceremony at the burial site.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to your favorite charity/cause. Allen's were PBS, the Hollywood Riviera Sportsman's Club for philanthropy/scholarships, Madrona Marsh (Alice's project), and any humane society or ecological organization. For Canadians, please consider Twelve-Mile Church and Cemetery in Carnarvon, Ontario, or Haliburton Highlands Retirement Home.


Funeral Home:
Green Hills Mortuary and Memorial Chapel
27501 S.Western Ave.
Rancho Palos Verdes, CA
US 90275