Marjorie Watts

Marjorie A. Watts, 79, of Stillwater, formerly of Wayzata, passed away peacefully surrounded by family on Tuesday, March 1, 2022.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth; parents, Michael and Pearl; brothers, Jack and Patrick; and sisters, Sheila, MaryEllen, and Moureen.

Marjorie will be missed by her children, Jon (Mary) Watts, Tarra (Jesse) Balok, and Michael (Jackie) Watts; grandchildren, Patrick, Paul, Thomas, and Mallory Watts, Emera, Iliana, and Bennett Balok, and Ellison and Emma Watts; siblings, Michaela Masser, Antoinette (Frank) Moore, and Kevin (Janet) Dynan; brother-in-law, Norman Herbst; and other family and friends.

Marjorie Ann Dynan was born on September 29th, 1942, to Pearl and Michael Dynan who later went on to become the proprietors of the Wayzata Home Laundry in Wayzata Minnesota.  Marjorie was the fourth of nine brothers and sisters.

The Dynan family became well known in the Wayzata community both because they were a large family and because of the joy and humor they collectively brought into the lives of everyone they met.

While in high school, Marjorie was an active member of a dynamic and tight-knit class whose members went on to accomplish outstanding personal and professional achievements who always remained in close contact with one another over the years.

After graduating from high school, Marjorie attended St. Cloud University to pursue a degree in business.  Other opportunities presented themselves and she left the University, and she began working professionally in Minneapolis. Her life had well and truly begun.

Over the next several years, Marjorie led an energetic an exciting life.  She travelled often, joined social and athletic clubs and built a large circle of friends in a world that was rapidly changing.  It was during this time that she met her future husband Kenneth Watts, an aspiring computer engineer who got in on the ground floor of an industry that dominates our economy today.  They got married and went on the ultimate adventure, moving to Loveland, Colorado where Ken worked for Hewlett Packard, the Apple Computer of its day.

It was in Colorado that Margie and Ken started their family, ultimately having three children: Jon born in in 1970, Tarra born in 1975 and Michael born in 1976.  Marjorie and Ken took advantage of every opportunity the state had to offer, building their dream house together and raising their kids on the front range.

They spent a tremendous amount of time outdoors teaching their children to love the mountains and to savor nights by a warm campfire underneath a blanket of endless stars.  They became avid hikers and cross-country skiers.  Camping was the activity that bonded the entire family together and created opportunities to read good books and listen to, “A Prairie Home Companion”, with its nostalgic tales of Margie’s Minnesota home.  Marjorie also developed her artistic talents and painted life in Colorado as she experienced it, creating a diverse body of work that was distinctly hers and cherished by her family today.

In 1987 Marjorie’s beloved husband passed away at the age of 45.  It was during this time that she went back to school to finish her college degree while she learned to deal with the aftermath of losing her husband and the children’s father.  Her family and friends rallied around her during this period to help make the journey easier.

Once her kids had graduated college and started lives of their own, Marjorie move backed to Minnesota to be closer to family and longtime friends.  Life remained challenging for her.  She was diagnosed with MS in the early 2000s which impacted her mobility. This was especially difficult given her lifelong love of painting, athletics and dance.  She had many ups and downs during the remainder of her life, but she fell in love with her nine grandchildren and did everything she could to participate in as much of their lives as she could.

In the last years of her life, she moved to Stillwater, Minnesota to be closer to her daughter Tarra and her husband Jessie along with their three beautiful children.  She never lost her sharp intellect, good sense of humor and love of laughter.  Margie held true to her Catholic faith until the very end and while her passing was sudden, God gave her the grace of time to say goodbye to her family.  She will be missed by her family and the friends she made over the course of her life.

Farewell, but not goodbye Mom.  We will see you again, restored to the glory of your youth in place where all earthly troubles are forgotten, and all wrongs forgiven.

Funeral Service will be Friday, March 11th at 11:00am with visitation one hour prior at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church, 18380 Columbus St., Dayton, MN.  Interment at St. John’s Cemetery, Dayton.