Dianne M Watkins

Dianne Marie Watkins lived with a strong spirit, an intelligent mind, and a cheeky wit to keep everyone on their toes. On May 5, 2026, we lost our beloved mother and as she would say "She shuffled off to Buffalo." A lasting memory is the twinkle in her eye and laughter of watching her great niece crawl for the first time.

Dianne was a woman of service and faith devoted to her church and served by teaching, reading for the blind and housing summer interns.

Born in Corpus Christi and, as she would say, "raised as a Navy brat," she was the adored daughter of Worth and Rosemarie Rowntree. Her love for family extended not only to her devoted husband of 59 years, Ken Watkins, but also to her two beloved children, Loanna and Adam Watkins.

Dianne graduated from the University of New Mexico with a Masters in Education, teaching and sharing her love of reading and passion for books as a teacher, librarian and reading for the blind. It was difficult to find a picture book she didn't know. She eventually went on and taught at various schools in Albuquerque. She had a passion for Native American arts and jewelry. As an artist herself she created an impressive collection of pottery, jewelry and artifacts of primarily Navajo origin. Special evenings were spent with Dianne recounting the history of those items and telling a story behind each of the pieces. She loved to spend time making cards, spoiling her grand dogs (Bell and Billy) and catching up on the latest K-pop shows.

She was a vibrant person with a wicked sense of humor. Throughout her life she would live to teach, help and care about others. She will be greatly missed.