Whitesell-Somers Family Web Project - Person Sheet
Whitesell-Somers Family Web Project - Person Sheet
NameElmer Shepherd WATSON [38376], [38377]
BirthJan 4, 1921, Bessemer, Guilford County, North Carolina [38376], [38377]
DeathAug 10, 1945, Norfolk City, Virginia [38376], [38377]
BurialRiverside Memorial Park (Magnolia), 1000 East Indian River Rd, Norfolk City, Virginia [38376], [38377]
FatherElmer Jefferson WATSON (1894-1940)
MotherNorvella A. SHEPHERD (1892-1978)
Obituary Online notes for Elmer Shepherd WATSON
Elmer Watson Dies of Burns From Gas Tank

Elmer Shepherd Watson, 24, of Fentress, died yesterday at 7:45 a.m. from burns received when an explosion occurred on a truck on which he was working at Windsor Thursday afternoon.

Watson, a mechanic by trade, was called to Windsor to repair the gas feed line on a truck, it was reported. In his work he was lying under the truck when for some unexplained reason an explosion occurred which set fire to his clothing and trapped him under the vehicle.

He was taken to the Norfolk General Hospital where he was admitted for burns over his entire body.

Watson was a native of Gilbert County, N.C., the son of Mrs. Cornelius Shepherd and the late Elmer Jefferson Watson, and had lived in Fentress for the past 14 years. He was a member of the Centerville Methodist Church in Fentress.

Besides his mother, he is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Horace P. Shipp, of Staten Island, N.Y. and Mrs. Floyd R. Blondell, of Fentress and a brother, Jay Malcom Watson, of Fentress.

The body was taken to the Graham Funeral Home, South Norfolk, where funeral services will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. Burial will be in the Riverside Memorial Park.

Norfolk Virginian Pilot Saturday August 11, 1945 [38376]

Elmer Watson Dies of Burns From Gas Tank

Elmer Shepherd Watson, 24, of Fentress, died yesterday at 7:45 a.m. from burns received when an explosion occurred on a truck on which he was working at Windsor Thursday afternoon.
Watson, a mechanic by trade, was called to Windsor to repair the gas feed line on a truck, it was reported. In his work he was lying under the truck when for some unexplained reason an explosion occurred which set fire to his clothing and trapped him under the vehicle.
He was taken to the Norfolk General Hospital where he was admitted for burns over his entire body.
Watson was a native of Gilbert County, N.C., the son of Mrs. Cornelius Shepherd and the late Elmer Jefferson Watson, and had lived in Fentress for the past 14 years. He was a member of the Centerville Methodist Church in Fentress.
Besides his mother, he is survived by two sisters, Mrs. Horace P. Shipp, of Staten Island, N.Y. and Mrs. Floyd R. Blondell, of Fentress and a brother, Jay Malcom Watson, of Fentress. The body was taken to the Graham Funeral Home, South Norfolk, where funeral services will be held Sunday at 1 p.m. Burial will be in the Riverside Memorial Park.

Norfolk Virginian Pilot Saturday August 11, 1945

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WATSON, ELMER SHEPHARD - Suddenly, of Fentress, Norfolk County, Friday morning, Augut 10, 1945 at 7:45 o'clock ELMER SHEPHARD WATSON, at a local hospital, a native of Gilbert County, N.C., but a resident of Fentress 14 years, a son of Mrs. Marbella Shephard Watson and the late Elmer Jefferson Watson, aged 24 years. The body was removed to the Graham Funeral Home, South Norfolk, where funeral services will be conducted SUNDAY AFTERNOON at 1:30 o'clock. Burial will be in Riverside Memorial Park.

Norfolk Virginian Pilot Saturday August 11, 1945

*******************
Elmer Shepherd Watson - Funeral services for Mr. Watson, of Fentress, who died in a local hospital Friday night, were conducted yesterday afternoon at 1:30 o'clock in the Graham Funeral Home, South Norfolk. The Rev. Ralph W. Mapp, pastor of Centerville Baptist Church, officiated. Pallbearers were Merritt, Ebern, Roy and Alan Watson, Billy Ray Powers and Vance Carawan. Burial was in Riverside Memorial Park.

Norfolk Virginian Pilot Monday August 13, 1945


Several differences in the above entries noted.
[38376]
Last Modified Oct 27, 2026Created Nov 10, 2026 by Terry M. Whitesell, using Reunion for Macintosh
Created Nov 10, 2026 by Terry M. Whitesell
Created using a Macintosh computer and Reunion software.

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