Longtime Perry resident and funeral director Draper Watson passes away

PERRY — The Perry community lost the face of Watson-Hunt Funeral Home last month as Draper Watson passed away unexpectedly on Sept. 14. He was 79. 

Watson was born in Perry in 1947, and quickly found love for adventure. As a young boy, Watson joined the Boy Scouts of America and became an Eagle Scout. He represented Perry on the national stage and traveled to Seattle for the World’s Fair in 1962. A year later, he attended the 11th World Scout Jubilee in Marathon, Greece. 

Watson graduated from Perry High School in 1965, and shortly after, attended Georgia Southern University where he met his wife Dawne Shaw. Watson briefly joined the United States Army Reserves to train as a paratrooper at Fort Benning. Although he never deployed, his service showed what kind of person he was, willing to serve and a part of something bigger. 

Watson and his wife moved to Minnesota where he graduated with a Bachelor’s in Mortuary Science from the University of Minnesota. They returned to Perry in 1970. 

Draper Watson followed in his family’s footsteps and became a third generation funeral director. He carried on the legacy of his grandfather and father before him. Watson joined the family funeral home in 1970 and became a partner in 1972. He then became owner of Watson-Hunt in 1999. 

“It was a calling and a responsibility that he carried with compassion, dignity, and genuine concern for the families entrusted to his care,” Watson’s obituary read. “He considered it an honor to walk alongside people during some of the most difficult moments of their lives.” 

Outside of the funeral home, Watson served on the Perry City Council, was a former Chairman of the Houston County Development Authority and the Perry Area Chamber of Commerce. He also received the Chamber’s Seabie Hickson Community Service Award and the first ever Perry Proud Award among other accolades. 

Watson’s eldest son, Terry,  said at his funeral that his dad took being a father seriously.  

“He believed that raising children wasn’t about providing for them. It was about teaching them, guiding them, correcting them and trying to shape them into the people they are supposed to be,” Terry Watson said. 

Terry Watson said his dad was a good listener and would make time whenever he could to have moments with his children and grandchildren. 

“My dad was independent, adventurous, kind, generous and was supportive,” he said. “I was very fortunate to have him as a father.” 

Draper Watson’s youngest son Travis said at the funeral that his dad helped families go through days of grief. 

“He knew how to walk into a room filled with grief and bring calm, dignity and compassion,” he said. 

Travis said the funeral service for his dad was not just a profession but a calling. 

“People all over Perry love him because when they lost someone they loved, dad showed up,” he said. 

Draper Watson’s daughter Christen Schmidt said at his funeral she has received many messages with similar words that describe her father: legend, a gentleman, kind, generous, joy to be around. 

“I was lucky enough to get that version of him my whole life,” she said. “My dad taught me how to live.” 

Schmidt said if you didn’t know her dad, he would make sure to get to know them. 

“His real gift wasn’t knowing people, his gift was making people feel special,” she said. “When dad was talking to you, you mattered.” 

Even though Draper Watson considered himself retired in 2022, he never truly was. He was still working funerals, his last being on Sept. 10, 2026.