Visitation Information

Terence L. Watson, "Terry"

Passed away on September 17, 2025

Terence Lee Watson has made this world a better place since February 9, 1949. He has shared his heart and his life with Roseanne (Baeza) since February 14, 1970 and left a legacy of love with their children Nicole (Rudy) Serna, Vince (Dana) Watson, and Sarah (Charlie) Watson; their grandchildren Amanda, Rudy “Zeke”, Charlie, Grace, Audrey, MillieRose, Emmylou, and Reylee; and great grandchildren Isabella, Dominic, Ameya, Caraleya, Andrés, Armando, and Amaiya.

Terry was a hard worker with a work ethic that led to excellence in all that he did in school and sports throughout his youth. He worked through his college years at Purdue Calumet at Norfolk & Western Railroad like his father. He applied his degree in architecture in his chief estimator role at McNulty Bros for over 35 years where he also led as a vice president in the company. His stamp is forever on Chicago at the Harold Washington Library, the American Girl Store, the Crain Communications Building, the Stock Exchange, and many others. When his time in the city was done, he used his skills to serve at First United Methodist in Hammond until his health forced him to finally retire at 76.

His transition to working at the church was a natural extension of his years of volunteering and leading church committees at both the East Side United Methodist Church and First United. He was always working for the Lord and loved singing his praises in the choir. His volunteering went beyond the church with years as a Lion and in the Masonic Lodge. He held every position in those organizations, often alongside his father, and headed multiple holiday breakfasts or dinners, built ramps throughout the East Side, ran fundraisers, helped get kids coats, facilitated scholarship opportunities, and countless other acts of service.

His volunteering even incorporated his passion for architecture through 25 years with the Frank Lloyd Wright Foundation. He has led tours, helped with restoration projects, ran Wright Plus weekends, and shared his love of the prairie style architecture with his family and friends. His appreciation for Wright’s designs inspired traveling throughout the country and beyond to Scotland and Japan.

Throughout it all, our father was there to cheer on each of us in schoolwork, sports, or any activity we wanted to try and continued to do so with the grandchildren and great-grandkids. He helped with homework as children and house projects as adults. He was a calming presence that strengthened everyone he was around because we knew he was there. His love and adoration for our mother was a joy to live with and witnessing how they cared for each other in all ways, big and small, until the very last breath was the greatest embodiment of God’s love and grace.

He is welcomed in heaven with open arms by his parents Cal and Millie Watson, his brothers Cal, Gary, and Timmy, his son-in-law Charlie, his in-laws, Frank and Jenny Baeza, Raul and Mary Baeza, Richard Baeza, Rochelle and Rito Martinez, and Charles “Chip” Stricker, along with his niece Jennie Baeza and nephew Phillip Baeza. Terry will be missed beyond measure by his loving wife, children, grandchildren, sister and brother, nieces and nephews, cousins, friends, co-workers, and church family. We will all work to honor his memory and as he always said, “be about the Lord’s work in this world”.

Visitation will take place Monday, September 22, 2025 from 2:00 p.m. until time of Funeral Service at 7:00 p.m. at the Elmwood Chapel 11200 S. Ewing Ave. Chicago, IL. 60617. The Lions Club will  have a service at 6:00 p.m. and Masonic Lodge at 6:30 p.m.