Martha Louise (nee Cherry) Watts

Martha Louise (nee Cherry) Watts passed away peacefully in her Town of Grafton home surrounded by loved ones on Thursday, Feb. 20, at the age of 98.

Her life was filled with joy and love which she lavished on everyone. She was married for 59 years to George Watts (of George Watts and Son Inc.), who pre-deceased her by 20 years.

She is survived by her children Cherry Watts (Steve Way), Jennifer Block (Frank), J.D. Watts (Julia), Mark Watts (Joan McDuffie) and Abigail Wright Grissom (Colin Grissom), one niece, Sharon Davis, 14 grandchildren and 23 great-grandchildren.

A reception will be held for her at the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin at 813 E. Kilbourn Ave., Milwaukee, on April 25 at 2 p.m. with a memorial celebration to follow at 3 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, consider donating to her two favorite charities: Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin (ppwi.org) and the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary (mbsanctuary.org).

Martha Watts (or Martie, as her friends called her) was devoted to a wide variety of causes. In her many years, she supported Penfield Children’s Center, the International Institute, Planned Parenthood, the MacCanon Brown Homeless Sanctuary, Ozaukee County Jail Literacy, the Ozaukee Washington Land Trust and Riveredge Nature Center, among others.

She was a founding member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Cedarburg, Wis.

As a member of both the Woman’s Club of Cedarburg and the Woman’s Club of Wisconsin, she supported many charities.  Through her membership in the P.E.O. Sisterhood, Chapter BV, Mequon, and the College Endowment Association, she strongly supported education for women.

When she first arrived in Ozaukee County at the age of 21, she was surprised to find little information about local candidates from the newspaper or pamphlets.  As a result, she and another woman, Polly Frank, started what became the League of Women Voters of Ozaukee County. She was extremely active in this organization for many years.

As a devoted wife and mother, she supported her husband George’s business by running the Watts Tea Shop in the 1990s and helped him with his campaigns for governor of Wisconsin and mayor of Milwaukee. He called her his “secret weapon.” He could not have accomplished all he did without her love and support.

A dear friend once said of her, “Martha has always been the most inclusive and open-minded person I know, never uttering a negative thought or word about anyone.”

Her kindness and sincere interest in others gave her a life filled with love. It was a life filled with her strong belief that love always wins.

Eernisse Funeral Home, Cedarburg, is honored to serve the Watts family.

Online condolences may be left at www.eernissefuneralhome.com.