John Carey Watt

John Carey Watt was born on July 19, 1925 to Alice and Herbert Watt in Takoma Park, Maryland. John's father Herbert, had emigrated to the United States from Ireland in the early 1900s and had found success in industry and higher education. This provided John with a wealth of experiences in major mid-west and eastern cities including Washington D.C., New York, Chicago and Pittsburgh. After high school, John attended the University of Chicago but prior to graduation enlisted in the Navy and served during WWII. His ship, a destroyer escort, saw action in both theaters of the war and was part of the convoy that sailed into Tokyo Bay to accept the Japanese surrender. At the end of his two and a half years of service he returned to the University of Chicago and obtained a Liberal Arts degree. He then attended Yale University where he received a Masters Degree in Forestry. It was during a summer internship at Yale that he first came to Colorado and fell in love with its' wild places. After graduating for Yale, he took a job with the State of Illinois and during that time met his first wife Edith Woodrow. They were married in her home town of Jerseyville, Illinois on January 7, 1953 and were married for 51 years. John took a job with the US Forest Service in Alturas, California as an assistant ranger and his son Frank was born there in 1954. John then received a promotion to Ranger for the Siskiyou Forest Head in Mt. Shasta, California and his daughter Chris was born there in 1957. John took a job in the US Forest Service regional office in San Francisco in 1961 and then moved to Denver in 1965. He had over 30 years of service with the US Forest Service. During his retirement he was very active in Jefferson County schools leading field trips, grading papers and feeding his love for education. John also loved to play golf and was active in the Colorado Junior Golf program and marshalled at the International PGA tournament from its inception to its end. He was a very dedicated and loving grandfather to Luke and Heidi Counts, Jenny Meier, Tyler and Allison Watt and great-grandfather to Vinny Counts, Leo and John Watt. Towards the end of his life he said that his true purpose in life was to be a grandfather. After Edith died in 2003, John remarried in 2004 to Lois Bisbee. They had 11 wonderful years together spent traveling the world and rooting for the Colorado Rockies. John also loved the Denver Broncos and was a season ticket holder for many years with seats in the infamous South Stands at Mile-Hi stadium. His love and compassion for his family has given us wonderful memories and we are all honored to have known and loved him. He will be forever in our hearts. John was preceded in death by his first wife, Edith. He is survived by his wife, Lois; children, Frank (Thea) Watt and Chris (Ken) Counts; grandchildren, Jenny Meier, Tyler Watt (Katie), Allison Watt, Luke Counts and Heidi Counts; and great grandsons, Vinny Counts, Leo Watt and John Watt. He will be deeply missed by everyone. A memorial service honoring John will be on Tuesday, January 12, 2016, beginning at 10:00 AM at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 7577 West 80th Avenue, in Arvada, Colorado 80003. Committal Service with military honors will follow at 1:15 PM, at Fort Logan National Cemetery - Area ""C,"" 3698 South Sheridan Boulevard, in Denver, Colorado 80235. Memorials may be made in John's name to: Covenant Village of Colorado Benevolent Care Fund 9153 Yarrow Street Westminster, Colorado 80021 or TRU Community Care 2594 Trailridge Drive East Lafayette, Colorado 80026 Please share your memories of John and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.