Obituary of Rhonda Lynn Watts

Rhonda Lynn Watts, 49, of Washougal, WA., passed away Sunday, November 8, 2009 after a brief illness. She was surrounded by her family and friends and faced her illness with a tremendous amount of courage, grace and dignity. She was a beloved wife, mother, daughter, grandmother and friend. She was born July 11, 1960 in Sioux City, IA., the daughter of John and Shirley Geesaman. Rhonda and her family have lived in the area since 1972 when her family moved from Iowa. She was a 1978 graduate from Evergreen H.S and received an Associate Degree from Clark College. Rhonda worked for over 23 years at Hewlett Packard in Vancouver, WA., during which time she met the love of her life Charlie, and they were married in 1992. She had the ability to make other people happy and she would do anything to help her friends and family. Rhonda had a passion and tireless dedication to supporting the fight against Alzheimer's Disease. Her efforts, along with her many close friends, in raising money through events such as the monthly Alzheimer's Breakfast at the Moose Lodge in Camas, WA., as well as many other fund raising events throughout the year, and her team's annual participation in the Memory Walk in Tacoma, WA. was something she was extremely proud of. Rhonda loved her dogs, Gideon and Tara, travelling especially to a beach, cooking and entertaining all with friends and family, and generally being Rhonda. Rhonda is survived by her husband and best friend, Charlie, daughters Michelle of Washougal, Molly and husband Craig Klenovich of Parker, CO.; and sons Michael of Vancouver, Jeff and wife Cathy of Colorado Springs, CO, Tyler and wife Heather of Colorado Springs. Mother and Father John and Shirley Geesaman of Vancouver, brother Johnny and nephew John T. of Ariel, WA., Mother and Father-In-Law, Ella Belle and Clarence Watts of Colorado Springs, Sister-In-Law, Nancy Cooper of Colorado Springs, grandchildren Zach, Sara, Alexis, Nathan, Jackson, and Parker, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles. She was so dearly loved by everyone who knew her. A special thanks goes out to all those people who have assisted and supported the Watts family in any way, especially Debbie, Francis, Gary, Jan, Jenny, Jerry, Jodee, Judy, Kimberly, and Mark. A celebration of life gathering will be held at Heller's Restaurant, 1834 E Street, in Washougal on November 22nd, 2009 11:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The requested form of dress is Tie-Dye, Loud T-Shirts, or Hawaiian Shirts. The family would also like to extend a tremendous amount of gratitude to Randy and Rita Heller for allowing the use of their facility for the celebration. Straub's Funeral Home & Columbia River Cremation in Camas is in charge of the arrangements. At Rhonda's request, In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: Alzheimer's Association, 100 W. Harrison St., North Tower, Suite 200, Seattle, WA 98119 Attn: Rhonda's Family & Friends Team. Rhonda's Favorite Quote from Dr. Seuss ~ "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." To send condolences or to sign the online guestbook visit www.straubsfuneralhome.com.