Obituary of Ida M. Watts

Ida Margaret Watts, native and longtime resident of Carrboro, NC passed away peacefully after an extended illness on June 20 at Terra Bella of Hillsborough. She was born in Orange County to the late Mack and Beulah Watts on July 9, 1928. She is survived by her nieces Dena Watts of Asheville, NC, and Melinda Watts Billings (Steve) of Greensboro, NC; great-nieces Sarah Billings of Winston-Salem, NC and Maddie Billings of Greensboro, NC; goddaughters Bettina Knight of Durham, NC, and Marylu Knight (Don) of Morganton, NC; godson Christian Wauschkuhn of Cologne, Germany; great-godchild Summer Healey of Chapel Hill, NC; and a host of friends, both in North Carolina and Germany.  

Margaret enjoyed a long career with Blue Cross Blue Shield of NC, and retired in 1990. Throughout her adult life she took several trips abroad and was enamored with European culture, always sharing souvenirs and photos from her trips. She was active in her church community, often volunteering on the summer camp bus. She had a special knack for “teasing” others and got a kick out of making people laugh. In the 80s and 90s, she was host to numerous international students at UNC, with whom she shared her home, many good meals, and witty company. Margaret was an avid UNC basketball fan and attended many games over the years, and she shared her love of all things Carolina with everyone she knew.

In addition to her parents, Margaret was preceded in death by her brother Billy Watts; nephew Kevin Watts; and goddaughter Denni Lambert. The Watts family wishes to express their gratitude to Margaret’s friends and neighbors, the staff of Terra Bella Hillsborough and Authoracare Collective of Burlington for their wonderful support and care for Margaret and her family. Specifically, the family would like to thank Deborah Carmichael of Terra Bella and Charles Harrelson, RN of Authoracare Collective for their loving care and attention directed towards Margaret in her final weeks. Their expert care, compassion and calm presence were evident and helped to assure Margaret’s peaceful transition.

A celebration of Margaret’s life will be held on Saturday, July 15, 2023 at 2 pm at Carrboro United Methodist Church, 200 Hillsborough Rd., Carrboro NC 27510. The family will receive friends from 1:00 to 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, July 15 prior to the service. Memorial contributions may be made to Carrboro United Methodist Church, 200 Hillsborough Rd., Carrboro NC 27510, or to Authoracare Collective - https://www.authoracare.org - or to the Burlington office, 914 Chapel Hill Road, Burlington, NC 27215.