Article published Monday, November 10, 2008 RICHARD WATSON, 1926-2008 Salesman taught business sense to grandchildren
Richard Watson, 82, a retired president and chief executive officer of television wholesaler McGranahan Distributing Co. who once teamed with pro golfer Jack Nicklaus for a charity match, died yesterday at Lake Park Hospice, Sylvania.
He died of complications from lymphoma, his family said.
Mr. Watson, who earned a business degree from Ohio State University in 1949, started his long career in sales by selling ice cream for Sealtest Dairy in Lima.
He joined McGranahan in 1953 as a territory sales manager in Lima, the year before the launch of the first color televisions. The company quickly would become a major regional distributor of televisions and electronics.
He was promoted to vice president and general sales manager for Toledo in 1962, president in 1973, and CEO in 1975. He also served as a trustee for the Toledo Area Chamber of Commerce and board member for the Sylvania Country Club.
Mr. Watson offered glimpses of his keen business knowledge to his 16 grandchildren as he spent his 28 years of retirement with them, his grandson, Rich Effler, 26, of Ottawa Hills said.
Though Mr. Watson was known to spoil his grandchildren when they begged for something expensive, he assigned them long-term chores which he recorded in a black book in a kitchen cupboard to teach the children accountability and hard work, Rich Effler said.
"Every kid had a ledger," his grandson said. "•'You can get that golf club, Rich.' But I'd have to mow the lawn 10 times. That's a great lesson."
Mr. Watson also delighted his grandchildren with his special ginger ale floats - chocolate milk, Vernors soda, and vanilla ice cream - a recipe that he mastered during the early years in ice cream sales, Rich Effler said.
Born Jan. 6, 1926, in Defiance, Mr. Watson was raised in Lima and graduated from Central High School, where he met his future wife, Kay.
Mr. Watson served as a radio gunner in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II.
Years later, still fascinated by his flight experience in the military, Mr. Watson took flying lessons and purchased two small aircraft. He shared the enthusiasm with his family - as his co-pilot, one of his three daughters, Kathi, said she learned to operate an aircraft before she could drive a car. None of his grandchildren learned to fly, but Mr. Watson allowed them to fancy themselves pilots by handling the controls in flight, Mr. Effler said.
Mr. Watson and Kay were married June 22, 1947, and the pair lived in a small apartment in Columbus for $50 per month as he studied at the university, Mrs. Watson said. The pair had four children.
After retirement, Mr. Watson and his wife immersed themselves in the lives of their grandchildren, never missing an Ottawa Hills baseball game or other activities of theirs, some of his grandchildren said.
Mr. Watson was a member of the Rotary Club, Toledo Club, American Legion Post 335, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, Ohio Senior Golf Association, Great Lakes Senior Golf Association, and the Inverness Club.
Mr. Watson's enthusiasm for golf preoccupied much of his bookshelves at home, his son-in-law David Effler said.
Mr. Watson treasured a 1975 photo of himself putting at Inverness Club, with legendary pro golfers Jack Nicklaus and Johnny Miller peering over his shoulder, his son-in-law said.
Mr. Watson won a regional contest to have Mr. Nicklaus as his partner versus another contest winner and Mr. Miller for an American Cancer Society benefit event. The match was tied, his son-in-law said.
Though Mr. Watson suffered lymphoma for three years, his most recent golf match was last month, longtime pal Dick Troy, 87, said.
"He could really play great golf when he would feel like it," said Mr. Troy, Mr. Watson's golfing buddy of 40 years.
Golf was always a friendly hobby, until the annual family rivalry of "the Richards versus the Davids," with grandson, Rich Effler, and Mr. Watson versus his son-in-law and 31-year-old grandson, DJ.
Though Mr. Watson had a special bond with DJ - who said his grandfather taught him Morse code for "good night" at 6 years old when he lived across the street - he loved to heckle him on the golf course.
"One of the last times I talked to my grandpa, he said, 'You know that I went out on top,' " grandson Rich Effler said, as Mr. Watson joked that "the Richards" won the most recent match.
Surviving are his wife, Kay; brother, James; sister, Mary; son, Rick; daughters, Kathi France and Beth Gunnett, and 16 grandchildren.
Visitation will be 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Wednesday in Walker Funeral Home, 5515 West Sylvania Ave. A private graveside service will follow at Riverside Cemetery, Defiance.
The family suggests tributes to the Ottawa Hills Schools Nanci Kay Effler Scholarship fund. Permanent Link
Copyright 2009
The Blade. By using this service, you accept the terms of our privacy
statement and our visitor agreement.
Please read them.
The Toledo Blade Company,
541 N. Superior St., Toledo, OH 43660
, (419) 724-6000
To contact a specificdepartment or an individual
person, click here. The Toledo Times ®
advertisement
