John Desmond Watson

CONCORD - John Desmond Watson died on February 27, 2023.  John was born on March 3, 1933 in Warner, NH to Olive and John Watson. He married Shirley Hansen in 1957.  John is predeceased by his wife, parents and stepbrothers Stan and Lloyd Thompson.  John is survived by his children Diane Serard (Peter) and John Watson (Leslie); grandchildren Laura (fiancé Tom Poitras) and Daniel (Kayla) Serard, and Adam Watson, Andrew (Candice) Watson and Kelsey Greene (Alex). His family will miss him immensely as a warm, devoted, loving father, grandfather and will celebrate treasured memories. 

He graduated from Concord High School in 1951 and then served honorably in the Military for 41 years.  He served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War and was stationed at Kadina AFB in Okinawa.  He returned to Concord and joined the U.S. Air National Guard full time in Concord, then at Pease AFB in Portsmouth as Commander, 157^th Resource Management Squadron, NHANG.  He graduated from the USAF Air War College and rose to the rank of Lt. Colonel.  

Following his retirement in 1987, John and Shirley had many memorable adventures. They traveled to Ireland to visit relatives, went biking through France with friends and made many trips to Florida to visit Johnny’s family.   John enjoyed numerous outdoor activities with the family, including hunting, fishing, hiking and especially skiing.  He also loved going to Alaska several times, camping and fishing for salmon.  John enjoyed woodworking and was a member of the Woodworkers Guild of NH.  He mentored Laura through her senior project, helping her make Adirondack chairs and he showed Danny how to make his own custom baseball bat using a lathe. When he lived in Contoocook, he belonged to Hopkinton Rotary where he made many friends and was respected for his leadership skills in fundraising activities involving the Hopkinton Fair.

SERVICES:  A memorial gathering will be held at Cremation Society of NH, 172 King Street in Boscawen from 1 to 1:30pm on Monday, March 6^th, immediately followed by a service at 1:30pm.  Interment prayers and military honors will be held at the NH State Veteran’s Cemetery, 110 Daniel Webster Hwy in Boscawen following services at 3pm. All are welcome to attend and celebrate John’s life. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to: Wounded Warrior Project - Donate or Make a Donation | Gary Sinise Foundation.  The Cremation Society of New Hampshire has been entrusted with arrangements. To view an online tribute, leave a message of condolence or for more information please visit www.csnh.com.  The family would like to thank Havenwood-Heritage Heights staff for their wonderful care.