Mary Hanna Watson

Mary Hanna Watson, 90, of Dahlonega, GA, passed away Thursday, August 25, 2022.

The graveside funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, August 28, 2022, at Hannatown Cemetery with Rev. Stephen Webb officiating.

The family will receive friends immediately following the service. Online visitors may sign the guest register at www.bryantfuneralga.com. Memorial donations may be made to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

Mary Ethel Hanna was born April 5, 1932, in Bainbridge, GA, the daughter of William & Amanda McDaniel Hanna. She was a graduate of Quincy High School, Class of 1948. Mary married Ralph Watson in 1950, and together they served churches in the North Georgia Conference of the United Methodist Church. Mary was a member of Dahlonega United Methodist Church.

Known as "Tiger Lady", Mary was a shrewd businesswoman who commanded attention when she entered the room. She dressed to the nines and had a powerful presence. Her impact has been felt across six continents. Mary & Ralph were founding members of World Methodist Evangelism Institute who built the first Methodist church in Otradny Russia after the fall of communism. Mary found herself heavily involved in Baltic Methodist Seminary in Tallinn, Estonia, Evange-med (which provided medical care along the Amazon River to those deemed "unreachable"), and Evange-bread (which provided food support in Bulgaria). Her businesses ranged from WL Management (nursing care facilities in several states) to CQ Computers (a software developer used in federal banking transactions), to portable medical diagnostics and pre-loaded debit cards among others. Mary was an influencer by nature and managed to work the deal, whether business or personal, to her liking.

Survivors include her daughter, Deborah Watson DeLong and her husband, Charles; her daughter-in-law, Deborah W. Watson; her grandchildren, Douglas & Nicola, Dayna, Deanne & DJ, Brian, and Kimberly; her great-grandchildren, Emma, Sarah Joe, Malia, Madison, Tyler, Camden, Kaitlin, Brian Jr., Cadence, and Christian; her great-great-grandchildren, Sawyer & Kaycee; and her sister, Hilda Rebecca Nix. In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, Dr. Ralph Watson; her siblings, William Hanna, Sterling Hanna, and Bernice Hanna Olivent; her son, R. Duane Watson; and her two great-grandchildren, Nolie & Demetric.