Loving grandmother, mother, wife and artist

Marjorie Ann Watson, a native-born Claremonter, died on April 28, 2017 after a short struggle with cancer. She was 72.

Born at Pomona Hospital on June 22, 1944 to Fred Cutler and Marjorie Demerest Cutler Bruington, Margie grew up in Claremont as a local grove kid where she attended Sycamore, El Roble and Claremont High, both at the old school house and the current site. She graduated from CHS in 1962 and married Dave Watson, a fellow Claremont native, the following year.

In high school, she rode in the CHS Bike Club, and she played in the marching band while attending Cal Poly Pomona. She especially enjoyed snow skiing, but water skiing, boating and camping at Lake Mohave were also at the top of her list.  She enjoyed traveling the United States to visit relatives and friends, but particularly enjoyed cruise ship visits to Alaska, Mexico and the Panama Canal.

Mrs. Watson wore many different hats when it came to jobs, like working at San Antonio High School for 12 years, where she loved mentoring her students and making a difference in their lives through media and video production. In addition to her job at Claremont Unified, she was a district manager for Hospitality Hostess in Glendora, a local Avon lady in Claremont and a member of the Claremont Junior Women’s Club.

Mr. and Mrs. Watson retired and moved to a semi-retirement community in Helendale, California, where they lived for 17 years on the 7th hole of the golf course. In Helendale, Mrs. Watson became very active in the community and played many roles within the entertainment world of Silver Lakes: dancing, singing, directing and producing many shows and plays, while Dave built sets and props for the performances. 

A lover of the arts—whether it be poems, arts and crafts, ceramics or theater productions—Mrs. Watson served the Silver Lakes Arts and Crafts Guild as president for four years. She gave back with charm, a sense of humor and a quick wit, donating much of her time to assisting the residents in her community, like creating stuffed bears and quilts that were donated to children under the care of Child Protective Services. Margie brought laughter and smiles to many.

Her attachment to Claremont continued due to her two children who have raised their families and still reside in the community. Amanda Estupinian, her oldest granddaughter, graduated from CHS in 2010, followed by Sarah Estupinian in 2015. Ciara Watson is currently a junior at CHS and Jacob Watson attends Sycamore Elementary. Margie is survived by her husband Dave Watson; by her daughter Dee Ann Estupinian and her husband Mark Estupinian; by her son Mark Watson and his wife Roxanne Watson; and by her four grandchildren. 

A memorial service for Margie will be held on Friday, May 19 at 3 p.m. at Oak Park Cemetery, located at 410 Sycamore Ave. in Claremont. A celebration of life will be held in Helendale on Friday, June 2  at 2 p.m. at the Silver Lakes Club House, 27801 Mountain Springs Rd. in Helendale. Those attending either service are welcome to bring a small photo or small note to be added to a “memory tree” in Margie’s honor.