Mrs. Audrey M. Watson, 91, (formerly of Ripley, MS), passed away Sunday, August 9, at SSM Good Samaritan Hospital in Mt. Vernon, IL, surrounded by family.
Funeral services honoring Mrs. Audrey’s life will be held at 10 AM Wednesday, August 12, 2026, with Bro. Stevens Edwards offering the message and Bro. Caleb Smith reading the obituary, along with sharing some of her favorite scriptures. Visitation will be one hour prior to service, beginning at 9 AM. Burial will follow in the Tippah Memorial Gardens with no graveside service.
Mrs. Audrey was born in Longview, MS, to Kelsey and Etta May Williams Langston and was the youngest girl in the family with 9 living siblings. Mrs. Audrey graduated high school in Keiser, AR, and married Charles Brown (deceased). They moved to Benton Harbor, Michigan, where Mrs. Audrey began working for Michigan Bell Telephone in 1955 as a switchboard operator. Mrs. Audrey was employed there until 1968 when she moved to Blue Mountain, MS to work with the Blue Mountain Children’s Home, as bookkeeper/secretary. In 1971, Mrs. Audrey returned to the Bell Telephone Company in Corinth, MS, retiring in 1991.
Mrs. Audrey married Edward Lanier Watson in 1975, and they were married 40 years before his death in 2015.
Mrs. Audrey was an Apostolic Pentecostal, having been baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost at a young age. Mrs. Audrey attended Ripley Assembly Church for 20 years before returning to Blue Mountain Church in 2019. Mrs. Audrey was a faithful member of every church she attended throughout her life, even when she moved from state to state. Mrs. Audrey had received certificates for reading her Bible through each year for over 25 years. In 2023, Mrs. Audrey moved to Mt. Vernon, Illinois to live with her daughter. Mrs. Audrey was a member of Calvary United Pentecostal Church in Mt Vernon, IL until her death.
Mrs. Audrey is survived by her daughter, Brenda (Darryl) McClellan, Mt. Vernon, granddaughter Stacee (Josh) Hughes, great-granddaughter Bailee (Aaron) McCutcheon, Brayden Gibson, Michael Hughes, and great-great granddaughter Dexlee McCutcheon. Mrs. Audrey was blessed with an expanded family when she married Edward Watson and gained children Carmen (Marty) Hubbard, Stan (Melinda) Watson, and the late Edward (and Teresa) Watson, II. Over the years, Mrs. Audrey and Edward welcomed grandchildren Josh (Crystal) Hubbard, Colt (Jamie) Hubbard, Ashley (Brandon) Rudd, Megan (Taylor) Lee, Lane Watson, III (Juemm), and Mary Watson, great-grandchildren Gavin Glover, Sawyer Hubbard, Beckett Hubbard, Maddie Watson, Ava Lee, Abigail Lee, and great-grandbaby Hubbard due in January 2027. Mrs. Audrey is also survived by one brother, Robert Langston, Pennsylvania, cousins Gladys Barnett and Wanda Owen, and many nieces and nephews.
Preceding Mrs. Audrey in death were her parents, husband, Edward Watson, one son, Edward Watson, Jr., and wife, Teressa, one grandson, Tyson McClellan, 5 brothers, Truman, James, Jackie, Carlton and Billy Langston, 3 sisters, Meryle (Floyd) Myers, Ava (Henry) Byrns, and Mary Scheuermann.
Mrs. Audrey’s family would like to thank their local funeral home, Hughey Funeral Home, for their assistance and help, and all the nurses with SSM Health Hospice, and the SSM Good Sam 4th floor nurses who cared for Mrs. Audrey in her final days. A Special Thank You to the excellent caregivers from Home Helpers of Mt. Vernon for the wonderful care they provided for the past year.
