Jack Roger Watkins
Marriages
Leonore "Lore Umhofer - May 22, 1959
Guenzburg, Germany
Obituaries
Grand Junction Daily Sentinel page 5 B Obituary - October 22, 2015
Jack Roger Watkins
September 25, 1937 - September 26, 2015
Jack R. Watkins was the second of seven children born to Paul and Elma Watkins of Fruita, CO. Jack was raised in Fruita, CO and graduated from Fruita High School in 1955. He attended Mesa Jr. College in Grand Junction before enlisting into the US Army.
Jack became a Medic and was stationed in Germany for four years where he met and married his wife, Leonore "Lore" Umhofer on May 22, 1959, in Guenzburg, Germany.
Jack and Lore were the proud parents of four children, Harald
P., Sylvia, Lori, residing in the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas area
and Shirley of Spring Valley, CA.
Jack graduated from the Army Officer Candidate School and
received his commission as a 1st LT. He was then assigned as a Recruiting Officer in Milwaukee, WI. Jack was accepted into the Army Helicopter flight school.
Jack was a survivor of two one year tours of duty in Viet Nam
as a helicopter pilot; qualifying for six Purple Heart medals.
Jack was also the recipient of Viet Nam’s highest medal
awarded to a foreign armed services member; the Viet Nam
Medal of Valor. He was also a helicopter flight instructor and a
flight safety inspector.
After retirement from the Army, Jack flew helicopters for
Petroleum Helicopters to off-shore well sights in the Gulf of
Mexico flying out of Lake Charles, Louisiana. Upon retiring
from this he flew helicopters for radio and television stations
covering the Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas areas.
When they really retired, he and Lore traveled around the
country trying to find a place to set roots. They finally ended up in Sierra Vista, AZ, where he lost his battle with cancer twelve years later. Ironically his youngest brother was with Jack when he succumbed to the dreaded cancer.
Surviving Jack is his wife for 56 years, Lore; son, Harald;
daughters, Sylvia Moore (Marty); Lori, and Shirley Diaz
(Tony); five grandsons; five granddaughters; eight greatgrandchildren; sisters, Paula Kay (Irvin) Johnson; Linda (Dean) Soderquist; brothers, Chuck (Carol); Jim (Linda), and Harold (Kristi). Jack was preceded in death by his grandparents, James and Cordelia Watkins and James and Lilly Nicholls; his father, mother, and brother, Larry Jack requested donations be made to either the Wounded Warriors or American Cancer Society.
