Toy Franklin Watson passed away peacefully at Williamsburg Hospice House on Feb 7, 2026, after a long and richly lived life. He was born in 1934 in Latta, South Carolina and mused daily on the gratitude he had for the many blessings throughout his life.
Toy spoke with great fondness of growing up at his boyhood home on Maxwell Lane in Newport News, Virginia, one of only 9 families on “the Lane” at that time. Stories of swimming out to Deep Creek, high school band and baseball peppered his boyhood tales. Graduating from Warwick High School, Toy entered Wheaton College in Illinois, and then took a two-year hiatus to enlist in the United States Marine Corps during the Korean War, proudly serving as a saxophone player in the USMC band before returning to Wheaton on the GI Bill to graduate with a degree in Psychology.
Upon Toy’s return to Wheaton, he met his bride in a shared class, claiming that he knew right away that “she was the one.” They married in 1958. Sixty-seven years later, he remained amazed that he and his wife Barbara continued to share what he described as an amazing and blessed life until Barbara passed away in August 2024.
Toy and Barbara moved to Richmond, Virginia where he earned Master of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University . Toy initially worked as a juvenile court parole officer, then moved into school social work and rose to the role of the Director of Pupil Personnel first for the City of Richmond, VA schools, and later Newport News School District, a position that had him move his family to Seaford, VA in 1978. Toy consciously devoted his professional life to helping youth, and remained amazed at the rewards he gained from that work.
Offered early retirement in 1991 at 8 a.m., he accepted the offer at 8:05a.m. and launched a life as rich in retirement as he’d had in work. Toy continued to marvel at that good fortune that brought he and his wife to Williamsburg where he found joy as a docent for Colonial Williamsburg, an avid tennis player, a boater, and a general handyman. He spent over a decade doing maintenance and repairs at Williamsburg Hospice House, finding great joy in supporting their incredible mission. A lifetime craftsman with an enviable workshop, his artistic explorations exploded in retirement. Their home remained full of the wide variety of art creations from Toy’s shop.
Beyond the above adventures, Toy constantly gave voice to how awed he was by the blessings of his life and family. He is survived by their two children, Terri (Kimi Harrison) and David (Gabi Watson), and the grandchildren that constantly impressed him, Martina Watson and Gabriela Watson. Nieces Kathy Robinson and Beth Larivee remained important to him as extended family.
He is preceded in death by his wife, Barbara; parents, Toy Otis Yates and Sadie Watson, brother, T. LePierre Watson of Cartersville, VA, sister Juanita Leddy of Escondido, CA, nephew Thomas Watson, Jr. and niece Barbara M. Watson.
While each of us will dearly miss the man we all so deeply love, it remains most important to us that Toy was ready to explore “whatever comes next” and felt that he could depart this life without remorse, regret, unspoken love or goodbyes. May we each be so blessed.
At Toy’s request, there will be no public memorial service and a private family gathering at a date to be determined.
The family asks for no flowers or donations — what Toy would say is – “get a kid outside to see nature!”
The family wishes to offer a special thanks to our father’s longtime physician, Dr. James P. Majdic and Nurse Vicky, the staff of Brookdale Chambrel Williamsburg and Hospice House of Williamsburg.
