Priscilla Watson

Priscilla Helen Wheeler Watson, 93, of Stowe, died at home on Sunday, Oct. 31, 2021, surrounded by family in love and peace. She was born on Dec. 21, 1927, in Auburn, Mass.

Priscilla was a former Girl Scout and member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, tracing her family back to 1620 as a descendent of a Mayflower family.

She was predeceased by her father, William John Wheeler; mother, Charlotte Young Wheeler; and siblings, Robert Leroy Wheeler and Bethlyn Caswell Wheeler Wiggins.

Priscilla was fondly called “Penny” by her friends, with whom she graduated from Auburn High School in Massachusetts. In 1945, she enrolled in the Cadet Nurse Corps and graduated from St. Luke’s Hospital School of Nursing, New York, N.Y., in 1948.

As a registered nurse, Penny worked on the men’s ward at St. Luke’s, followed by a stint at Doctors Hospital on Long Island as an operating room nurse. One of her most vivid employment opportunities was for CBS where she served as a nurse before becoming the executive assistant to Dr. Peter Goldmark in Research & Development at CBS. For 10 years as executive assistant, she worked on record mastering and on color television technology, and then after a brief time in Florida, moved to Auburn and worked for RH White.

Around 1965 Priscilla went back into nursing and became a tireless champion of women’s health and reproductive rights, impacting policy decisions as well as developing cutting edge care practices in the labor and delivery suite. She also worked on a partnership with a hospital in the former Soviet Union.

Pat, as she was known in her later years, retired from nursing in the mid 1980s as the assistant director of Women’s Health Services, at William W. Backus Hospital, Norwich, Conn.

In her retirement she loved to knit, play bridge and engage in tennis and golf. She also became computer savvy and enjoyed a terrific online contract bridge group. Pat even learned to downhill ski at Stowe Mountain.

Pat took great joy in her family. She leaves behind her son, Russell William Watson of Fort Pierce, Fla.; two daughters, Anne Elizabeth Watson Bongiorno of Stowe, and Melissa Poole of Bradford, R.I.; five grandchildren, Christopher Bongiorno of Austin, Texas, Melody Bongiorno Frank of Waterbury Center, Julianne Bongiorno Bythrow of Washington, D.C., Mark Gencarelli of Westerly, R.I., and Serena Gencarelli of Westerly, R.I.

Great Grammy also leaves a legacy of four beloved great grandchildren, Rebecca and Sheldon Frank of Waterbury Center, and Caroline and Henry Bythrow of Washington, D.C.

Pat was a member of the First Congregational Church in Auburn, Mass., and the Stowe Community Church. She leaves behind many friends from her home at Copley Woodlands in Stowe.

A celebration of life for Priscilla is planned for Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, at 11 a.m. at the Stowe Community Church. There are no calling hours. In lieu of flowers contributions would be welcome for the new women’s health breast biopsy equipment at Copley Hospital or to Lamoille Home Health and Hospice.