Arlene Jane Watson, a long-time resident of Sturgis, SD, passed away on December 12, 2024, in Centennial, CO. She was 85 years old.
Arlene was born on June 6, 1939, in Lincoln, NE, the youngest of three children of Roscoe and Mildred (Jordan) Lodwig. When she was 11, her family moved to Omaha, NE, where she attended North Omaha High School and graduated on her birthday in 1957. After graduation she studied Biology and Medical Technology at Nebraska Wesleyan University in Lincoln where she enjoyed singing in the Girls Glee club and was a member of the Delta Zeta sorority. It was there that she met her future husband, Daniel Watson. Following graduation with a Bachelor of Arts degree, Arlene and Dan were engaged and later married on September 10, 1961, at the First United Methodist Church in Lincoln.
After starting their family in 1963 with the birth of their first son, Jeffrey, in Kearney, NE, they moved to Memphis, TN, where Dan attended the Southern College of Optometry and Arlene worked as a Medical Technologist. Soon after the birth of their second son, Michael, in 1966, Arlene and her family moved to Sturgis. The family relocated to Tucson, AZ, while Dan was serving in the Air Force, where their third son, Timothy, was born in 1970. Following Dan’s discharge from the Air Force in 1971, Arlene and her family returned to Sturgis, where they lived until October 2021.
During her more than 53 years in Sturgis, Arlene was an active member of the Sturgis United Methodist Church and its choir, United Methodist Women, Beta Sigma Phi sorority and the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO). She also was a member of the Auxiliary to the South Dakota Optometric Society and held offices of Secretary-Treasurer and President. In 1978, Arlene began working for the Meade County school district as an Administrative Assistant to the Director of Special Services, where she worked for 23 years, retiring in 2001.
Arlene was an avid gardener and loved tending to her beautiful flower and vegetable gardens. She enjoyed camping with her family in the Black Hills and especially loved travelling around the world with Dan and their friends, exploring new places, and soaking in the culture and history. She was also a skilled seamstress and quilter, making large high school graduation quilts for each of her 8 grandchildren. Her most cherished memories were times spent with her beloved family and friends in Sturgis. She was a dear friend to many and a wonderful mother and grandmother to her family. She will be deeply missed.
Arlene was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Daniel Watson; parents, Roscoe and Mildred Lodwig; her brother, R. Maurice Lodwig, and sister, Marie Asp. She is survived by her son, Jeffrey; his wife, Christine, of Centennial, CO, and their four daughters, Jamie (AJ) Williams, Kylie, Erin, and Lindsey; son, Michael, his wife, Shana, of Pooler, GA, and their two sons Derek and Ian; and son, Timothy, his wife, Amie, of Chancellor, SD, and their two sons, Thayme and H. Walker. She was also blessed with one great-grandson, Casey Williams.
The family will host a visitation at the Black Hills Funeral Chapel from 5-7pm on Monday, January 6, with funeral services at the Sturgis United Methodist Church at 10:00 am on Tuesday, January 7, followed by interment at the Black Hills National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Sturgis United Methodist Church.
Condolences may be sent to the family at www.kinkadefunerals.com.
