Marie Watt
Marie Ingram Watt passed away peacefully on Friday, September 20, 2024, at UnityPoint Health – Marshalltown Hospital. Marie was the daughter of William Coy Ingram and Veda Jones Ingram and was born December 8, 1932 in Danville, Illinois. Her family lived in Michigan and Utah while her father served as an officer in the US Cavalry and Air Corp during WWII. After his years of service, the family moved to Sullivan, Illinois where her father practiced law. She graduated from Sullivan High School in 1950. She was involved in many music activities, playing piano, clarinet and pipe organ. She organized her church music program, accompanied choral groups, and won state competitions for piano solo and clarinet quartet.
She attended Passavant Nursing School at Northwestern University in Chicago, receiving a degree as a registered nurse in 1952. While at Northwestern, she was active in her sorority and met many lifelong friends. She married Dr. Russell H. Watt on June 19, 1954, and they lived in southern Illinois and Texas while her husband served in the US Air Force during the Korean War. After his service, they returned to the Chicago area for two years and subsequently moved to Marshalltown where her husband had a career at the Wolfe Clinic. They had four children: Cathleen, Douglas, David and Kenneth.
Marie loved spending time with friends and family and attended too many Little League games to count. She never missed a football or basketball game and attended many dance recitals. She was an active member of Assistance League, P.E.O. and the Hawthorne Club. She was a longtime member of Elmwood Country Club and served on the board. She was an avid golfer and enjoyed the friendly competition of tournaments. She played bridge weekly with a group of good friends. She found her passion for acting in the Marshalltown Community Theater, including starring roles in ‘Kiss Me Kate’ and ‘Mary, Mary.’ She loved cooking and experimenting with new recipes, everything from boeuf bourguignon to pheasant soup. She enjoyed entertaining in her home, including wild game dinners from the bounty of her husband’s hunting trips.
She liked to comb second hand stores for old furniture, mostly primitive antiques. She would spend hours refinishing her finds and bringing them back to their original beauty. She had a knack for interior design and was passionate about decorating her home. Her favorite time of year was the Christmas season where she would display old-fashioned Santas and miniature shadow boxes of her own creation. She and her husband loved to travel during their 67 years of marriage, including trips to Europe, Asia, and South America. Chicago always held a special place in their hearts because they met there.
Marie was a devoted mother and wife. Her family is thankful to the Glenwood Place staff who cared for her during the past year and to the many friends who visited her there. She is survived by her brother Robert Ingram (Connie) and her children Cathleen (Joel), Douglas, David (Laura), and Kenneth (Carol). She leaves a legacy of seven grandchildren Hanna (Jamie), Jordan (Meredith), Dillon (Michaela), David, Ian, Clint and Molly (Garrett) and four great grandchildren, Charlotte, Freddie, George and Ivy. She was preceded in death by her husband, Russell H. Watt, her parents and her daughter-in-law Susan.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations in memory of Marie be made to Marshalltown Arts and Civic Center to benefit the Martha Ellen Tye Theater or Marshalltown Federation of Women’s Clubs to benefit Binford House. Anderson Funeral Homes of Marshalltown has been entrusted with the arrangements. Online condolences may be sent to www.andersonfhs.com.