Methodists Celebrate The Memory Of ‘Ma’ Watkins

By Shannon Hicks

Newtown United Methodist Church members celebrated the memory of a woman one member called “the matriarch of this church for many years” during its worship services on June 14. After the doxology and dedicatory prayer for the 10 am service, members moved from the Church Hill Road sanctuary to a new garden in the north corner of the church property to continue their worship service by formally dedicating The Ruth Watkins Meditation Garden.

Pastor Mel Kawakami chose readings from the books of 2 Corinthians (5:6–10, 14–17) and Mark (4:26–34, The Parable of the Mustard Seed) as his scripture lessons on Sunday before progressing to a sermon he called “What Kind of Tree Are You?” During both services, a framed photo of Mrs Watkins graced the altar.

“Ma Watkins,” he said at one point, using the name Mrs Watkins was called by family and friends of all ages, “she was an oak tree in this congregation. Her branches covered many.

“We are here, literally, because of her. She stood up to church authority who wanted to close our church. They thought we were too small but she stood up to them and said ‘You will not close my church. There is still plenty of ministry to do here in Newtown.’

“Ma Watkins stood like a mighty oak,” continued Pastor Kawakami.

Ma Watkins was the widow of Reginald S. Watkins. When she died in March 1996 at the age of 98, The Newtown Bee called her an active member of NUMC, having held positions of organist, choir director, church school superintendent, and treasurer. She was also a charter member, her obituary continued, and past Matron and organist of Mirah Chapter No. 113 OES, and she helped found the Newtown chapter of Church Women United.

The Ruth Watkins Meditation Garden is designed so that visitors enter the space by walking between a set of stones from the sidewalk that runs along the front section of the church parking lot. A pathway filled with pebbles runs from the sidewalk toward a large flat stone upon which a sundial rests. The pathway runs around the stone and sundial. Mulch and planted flowers have been placed inside the circle formed by the path around the stone, and more mulch and plantings lie outside the pathway.

Large stone have also been placed a few yards away from the pathway, offering visitors a place to sit and reflect.

The stones that serve as the entryway, seating, and upon which the sundial rests are all foundation stones from the former Fredericka House.

The house — the former home of nationally recognized illustrator William Gibson, who used it as a summer weekend home — was maintained during the 20th Century as a summer camp by the First Presbyterian Church of New York. The camp’s season ran from late June or early July until about the first week of September, with 50 to 60 children visiting Sandy Hook at a time.

“It was essentially an early version of The Fresh Air Fund,” Town Historian Dan Cruson confirmed this week. “They brought kids up from the city, and they enjoyed a ten-day to two-week vacation.” The Fredericka House was active from the late 1930s until the early 1960s, said Mr Cruson.

It was during the installation of sidewalks in Sandy Hook Center a few years ago that the foundation stones were uncovered.

“We received a number of offers for those stones, let me tell you,” said Barb Carlson, a friend of Mrs Watkins and a member of NUMC. “But we wanted to do something with them, something special. We just weren’t sure immediately what it would be.

“Ma was the one who stood up for this church. She took care of all of us,” Mrs Carlson continued.

The long-awaited garden was bought to fruition thanks in large part to the efforts of Brett Pearce, who attends the Methodist church and who created the spot that now offers a place for anyone to honor loved ones and have quiet meditation as his Eagle Scout project. Stephen Sapienza also earned Eagle Scout hours when he cleared the area for the garden’s layout. Both boys are members of Newtown Boy Scout Troop 370.

Brett, a sophomore at Newtown High School, coordinated the donation of funds for the project, found someone who was willing to use his excavator to relocate the stones, found and placed the siding that lines the pathway, and solicited the donations of flowers that have been planted.

Stephen, a senior at NHS, did the preliminary work on the space. He cleared the area, which had been terribly overgrown with trees, poison ivy, and other plants before garden planning and placement could be done.

“I knew it would have an impact for the church, but didn’t realize how much of an impact,” Brett said this week.

Within the garden is a dogwood tree that was planted to honor the late Dr Homer Hopkins, a research scientist and NUMC member who died in August 2008; and a sundial that was placed there in honor of the Reverend Terry Pfeiffer, who served as the church’s senior pastor from 1992 until 2008.

When she died more than a decade ago, Mrs Watkins was survived by four sons, a daughter, 18 grandchildren and 16 great-grandchildren. Many of her family members attended Sunday’s celebration. Among them were Tom Watkins, one of her sons, Tom’s daughter Beverly, and daughter and son-in-law Ann and Steve; son and daughter-in-law Jack and Dawn Watkins, and their daughter Diane Creed; son and daughter-in-law Randall and Connie Watkins, another daughter and son-in-law Terri and Bill Braziel, and their daughter Brandi; and Randall and Connie’s son Randy, his girlfriend Laura, and his sons Tyler and Ryan.

Also attending were Ruth’s daughter Anna Lou (Watkins) Goodwin, her son and daughter-in-law Robbie and Kirsten, and Anna Lou’s grandchildren John and Jordan; and Sid Watkins, another of Ruth’s grandchildren.

Ruth’s family honored her on the occasion of her 85th birthday with the carillon that plays hymns from NUMC’s tower every day at noon and 6 pm and before and after Sunday services. Ruth could hear the bells from her home around the corner on Glen Road.

Sunday morning’s dedication concluded with that carillon being played once again, this time emanating “In the Garden,” the same hymn that had been sung just a few minutes earlier by those who had gathered in the garden. The hymn was reportedly Ma Watkins’s favorite.

When the carillon began playing, the sun broke through the clouds and made its way through the branches that cover much of the garden, shining on those who were looking at a new place for peace and calmness while remembering a woman who led many of them through their church and home lives. It was indeed as if Ma Watkins was agreeing with the choice of music, on her carillon, on her special day.

“It was a wonderful service,” said Connie Watkins. “It’s been a long time coming. This was Ma’s great hope, to have a garden like this.

“It was very moving. The sun came out and the carillon started playing Ma’s favorite hymn. It was a wonderful morning.”