Catherine B. Watton

Catherine “Rena” Watton, 89, passed away peacefully on April 8, 2020 in San Diego, California, the city she loved and had lived in for 65 years. Rena was born in 1931 in Anderson, Indiana where she lived with her parents, William and Adrene, and her three sisters Barbara Gray, Deardra Roesch, and Karrie Dietzen. Rena graduated from Anderson High School in 1948. She met and married the late Hubert “Bert” Watton in 1950, and in 1956 they moved with their young son, Mark, to San Diego. Rena is survived by her two children, Mark Watton (Virginia Watton) and Marcy Watton (Sal Vasquez). She is also survived by three grandchildren, Karrie Schultz (Louis), Eric Watton (Laura) and Georgia Shnell, and six great-grandchildren. Rena was predeceased by her husband, Bert, in 2013.

Rena enjoyed a life filled with music. She was an accomplished pianist, organist, and accordionist. She thrilled audiences over the decades playing with the Accordion Lovers Society International and with The Polka Dots. In addition to playing at the Chargers’ Blood Drives and the Northpark “pub crawl,” her groups also played for children in grade schools and for elders in assisted living facilities.

Rena cultivated and treasured her friendships. She never met a stranger and made lifelong friendships through her love of the game of bridge, through Bert’s involvement with the Boy Scouts of America, and of course through her music.


A memorial service will be held at a later date.