Nellie Watson

Nellie “The Duchess” Rose Watson passed away on June 8, 2021, at the Clearwater Valley Hospital in Orofino, Idaho, from a short battle with Covid.

Sis, as she was known by her family, was the oldest daughter, born on August 31, 1921, at Wildcat, Wyoming, to George Andrew Eisele and Mattie Mae (Davis) Eisele at home with delivery by a midwife/aunt – Effie (Eisele) Ruff. Although she lived and worked in many cities and states, she always considered Wyoming, especially the Sheridan and Gillette area as her home. When living in Sheridan County, Wyoming, she was a cook for different ranches (i.e., Forbes, Wallops and Kelly Howie). She did restaurant work @ King Cotton in San Rafael, California, and The Horton Ranch at Saddlestring, Wyoming. She also worked for Von Ragsdale in Sheridan, Wyoming. She was baptized in the First Presbyterian Church in Gillette, Wyoming on Easter Sunday, March 28, 1937. She attended grade school in Wildcat, Wyoming, and graduated from Campbell County High School.

She is survived by her daughter, Darla D. (Schoenfeld) Jones of Kamiah, Idaho, and a very special and dear close friend, Bill Purdy, also of Kamiah, Idaho, who was like a son to her. She was known for her practical jokes. She enjoyed bowling, playing scrabble and bingo, in addition to pinochle and loved to gamble. She was always ready to go fishing and wanted to be the first to drop her line. She was the first one up in the morning, ready to go and dressed from head to toe in complete fashion for the occasion. She and her daughter, Darla, were very similar in comedy character to Lucy and Ethel Mertz from the I Love Lucy shows. She and her daughter talked about wanting to drive to Hawaii like Thelma and Louise. She was a big fan of the Seattle Mariners and Seattle Seahawks.

She is survived by her brothers, William (Bill) Eisele of Sheridan, Wyoming; Jean Eisele of Surprise, Arizona, and Allen Eisele of Reno, Nevada, and by her sister, June (Eisele) Warren, of Sheridan, Wyoming, in addition to many nephews and nieces, cousins and in-laws, along with a grandson, Troy Anthony Bowman, born 2/21/1966.
She is predeceased in death by her husband, Phil Watson (2/11/1914 to 8/12/2001), whom she met and married in Reno, Nevada on January 7, 1970; brothers Jim (02/24/1920 to 09/28/2008) and George Raymond “Spud” Eisele (05/15/1923 to 11/11/1942 aboard the U.S.S. San Francisco), in addition to her son, Ronald Raymond Bowman (who was born 8/30/1947 at the Air Force Base in San Rafael, California and died on 04/19/2003), and granddaughter, Sunni Bowman, (12/25/1968 to 08/26/2012) of Reno, Nevada.

Cremation has taken place and arrangements are with the Trenary Funeral Home in Kooskie, Idaho, with graveside services occurring later in Sheridan, Wyoming with her surviving family.