The Russell CollectionS
William, Jason Hubbard, Jason, Jason, Jason, Jesse, Augustus, Arch
Greta Bertha Russell Watts
1919-2019
Profile/Bio
Occupations:
Greta, 1940: Stenographer, manager for insurance company
Avon Representative: President's Club Statis
Rex, 1941: Laboratory technicians and assistants (re: World War II Army Enlistment Records)
1941-1946: Army, LTC US ARMY WORLD WAR II
1949: Forman (re: US City Directories)
Education:
Rex, Post Graduate
Clubs, volunteer, etc:
Oak Cliff Women's Club
Physical:
Rex, grey eyes, ruddy complexion, brown hair, 5' 10" foot tall
Religious association:
Baptist
GRETA BERTHA RUSSELL WATTS
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Greta Russell was born April 18, 1919 in Grass Valley, Oregon to Arch Lewis and Cora Pearl (Daugherty) Russell. Greta had an older sister, Lois and brother Deston.
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Arch had a large wheat ranch and Cora’s father, Benjamine Daugherty, helped wherever he could.
Arch and Cora had five more children; Forrest, Avery, Twins, Alma and Irma and twins Bennie and Bobby. Bobby live six months, spending most of the time in Children’s hospital in Portland. Lois and Greta didn’t need dolls to play with as we had two live dolls to care for, Greta said.
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Arch and Cora lost their wheat ranch in 1934, during the depression, and moved to Klickitat Heights near Lyle, Washington with the five younger children. There wasn’t a high school for Greta to go to; so she moved to The Dalles, Oregon. She worked for her room and board and finished her last two years of high school, graduating in 1937.
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Greta went to Portland to work for a Steamship Insurance Company as a secretary and promoted to office manager.
Greta met Rex E. Watts at White Temple Baptist Church. He was a SSgt stationed at Portland Air Base. Rex was raised in Kansas. He attended Texas A&M for his Masters Degree and was working in Denison, Texas for Kraft Foods. When he was drafted into the Army. He was in the first draft issued. They were married Aug 14, 1942. They were stationed in Cheyenne, Wyoming where Rex attended OCS, graduating as a Second LT, then Bisbee, Arizona where he received orders for overseas.
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Greta moved to Underwood, Washington to live with Alma and Irma who were in high school in White Salmon. Greta worked as a nurse’s aide in the hospital in White Salmon. Terry Eugene was born here on Oct. 14, 1943. It was two years before Rex was to see his first born.
Rex took his family to Denison, Texas where his job at Kraft Foods awaited him. Rex Stuart (Rick) was born here January 27, 1947.
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In 1948, the family moved to Dallas, Texas. Rex took a job with Southland, Corp where he worked for thirty years. During this time,, he also retired from the US Army with twenty years served as Lt Col.
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Susan Ann was born in Dallas April 9, 1951.
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Greta worked for Pioneer Rubber Company in charge of printing balloons for advertising for ten years. When the company relocated, she worked for Western Union in the collection Dep until Rex retired. She said she wasn’t going to get up every day a 6 am and leave him lolling around alone.
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Greta started selling Avon Products in 1976, enjoying the association of neighbors for twenty years. They have also travelled extensively since retiring.
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They went to Hong Kong, Japan and Thailand with a church group. Then later to England and Portugal. Their third trip was to Israel and Italy to see the Vatican. Another trip was to Denmark, Norway and Sweden.
Lois joined them for a cruise to Alaska, a cruise of all the Hawaiian Islands.
Also a trip to Africa to see sister, Alma, and Frank Dobra.
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They went to Scotland, Ireland and Spain with Susan and Bruce and to Germany, Austria, Venice and France with Terry ad Mary. They have traveled to Canada where they saw the Pope in his Pop=Mobile, Nova Scotia Mexico, Caribbean Islands and most of the United States. They celebrated their 50 wedding 1992. Greta and Rex made several trips to Oregon to attend the Russell Reunions and went to her sister’s Irma and Jack Collin’s 50th wedding anniversary gathering in June 9, 1996.
Rex passed away Feb 27, 1998. He is laid to rest at Duncanville, Texas.
Greta Watts was born to Arch and Cora Russell on April 18, 1919, in Grass Valley, OR. She was the third of eight children. There was no high school where they lived, so she moved to the Dalles, Oregon to attend high school. She worked for her room and board, graduating in 1937. She went to Portland to work for a Steamship Insurance Company as a secretary and was promoted to office manager.
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She met her husband, Sgt. Rex E. Watts, at a Baptist church social for the country’s servicemen. That day marked the first day of the rest of their lives – and Rex’s last as a Methodist. Greta told Rex when they moved to Dallas for his job at Southland Corporation, “You may have wooed me to Texas and away from my family, but you’re not wooing me away from my church. You’re a Baptist now!” They joined Cliff Temple Baptist Church in 1949 and were members there for the rest of their lives.
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After marrying in August 1942, Rex and Greta had three children. She chose to work full time while she raised her kids. But when Rex retired in the late 1970s, she retired, too. “I’ll be darned if I’m gonna get up at 6 a.m. and leave him lolling around the house by himself!” she said. That’s when Greta discovered Avon and it was a match made in heaven. Selling Avon was a passion that allowed her to spend time with customers – those who were her friends and those who became her friends. When Rex passed away in 1998, Greta continued selling Avon, usually achieving President’s Club status.
After forty years she reluctantly stepped down at the age of 95. Greta and Rex enjoyed traveling and league bowling. Greta also played a mean game of pool. And she was competitive. She didn’t mind giving you a few pointers, but she wasn’t going to let you win, even if you were her granddaughter and even if you were nine years old. Greta wasn’t a sore loser either, but most of the time she didn’t end up having to prove it.
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She was a member of the Oak Cliff Women’s Club for 22 years. She enjoyed ceramics, crochet, working crossword puzzles in pen, reading murder mysteries, and gardening. She loved flowers and no one had a greener thumb.
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She lived independently for 21 years in the same house she moved into with Rex almost 50 years ago. But on January 18, three months shy of her 100th birthday, God decided she was moving in with Him.
Marie Collins LeDoux to Terry Watts: did your Mom work for a 🎈 balloon company? I remember she brought balloons to a family picnic and we blew them up and threw them off the bridge. The updraft from the falls took them. So fun! Why did she have a big box of balloons of all sizes and colors?
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Terry: Yes Marie, mom worked for Pioneer Rubber Co., their main product was balloons. Your memory is excellent! Big Box was probably for your amusement and entertainment.
About Greta Watts: from Susan Watts We had about 4 boxes of sweaters mom crocheted for herself when we went through her things. I must still have 20 plus sweaters of hers. Looks great over a long sleeve top. She was very crafty. Did a lot of pottery and even a painting or two. Sewed many of her own and my clothes when I was young.
Irma: this was where Greta lived while Rex was in the Army. This is the house Terry lived in in Underwood Washington. My father's family lived across the Street. Irma went to White Salmon School. Jack...her husband moved back to Beaumont Texas. He later returned to Underwood and met Irma again. He returned after the war and they got married. In the meantime, Irma moved to Tacoma and started college at Puget Sound.
Greta lived in this house while Alma and Irma finished High School. Greta had Terry who was mothered by his mother and two Aunties. Greta thought she was buying the home as a nest egg for when Rex returned from the war. Little did she know her father thought Greta was RENTING it from him. She was so disappointed and after Rex returned , her family moved to Texas since they didn't have the home she thought was hers.
Greta and Rex Watts and Terry Watts their oldest son.
Irma, Greta, Alma
Greta, Lois, Irma Collins and Jack Collins.
