Herbert E. Watkins
July 20,1937 – Feb. 26, 2025
Husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, engineer, entrepreneur, businessman, adventurer, Herbert or Herb or Ed, as he often went by, had a very full life. Sometimes life was high adventure: building housing after natural disasters in Nicaragua, a gold mine in Nevada, renovating The Jean Lafitte retirement home, hydroponic desert farming, business in over a dozen countries, banking in Belgium. As an environmental engineer for Gulfstream, he inspected and rebuilt reefs along the pipelines here in Tampa Bay. He travelled all over the world and had great academic intelligence and “street smarts.”
Sometimes life threw him a curveball and he struggled. But unlike some, he always climbed his way up again and found success and happiness.
All of us that travelled with him along this journey knew that it was never dull!
Herbert was born in McAlester, Oklahoma, to hard working farmers and general store owners, Robbie and Herbert Watkins, both now deceased. From them Herbert got his strong mind, determination and interest in people in all walks of life. He also had a beautiful sister, Jean Fairless, who died too young from ALS.
Herbert is survived by Ann Virginia Molloy Watkins (Ginny), his loving wife of 48 years and steadfast co-adventurer. He was predeceased by a son, Robbie, and is survived by three daughters, nine grandchildren, 12 great-grandchildren, and his first wife, Sue, with whom he shared 20 years.
Herbert will be missed. He loved taking everyone fishing and teaching them to bait their own hooks, boating and snorkelling, and sharing his knowledge of investment and trading. He volunteered in the Sun City Center fitness center.
Over the years he had many colleagues and friends of all sorts from all over the world. As Ginny always said, “God makes them and Herbie finds them.”
Charlene R. Torrey
Charlene Rose Torrey (Ellsworth), 64, of Ruskin, FL, passed away Saturday, March 8, 2025. She was born on Dec. 29, 1960, to William and Dolores (McGeathy) Ellsworth.
She was an amazing mother who loved her children with all her heart, a loving and caring wife, sister, mother, friend, grandma and great-grandmother. She would do anything for anyone. She had a heart of gold. She married the love of her life, Larry Torrey, on May 21, 1983, in Flint, Michigan.
She is survived by her loving husband of 41 years, Larry Torrey; daughters, Anna Widener (Donovan) of Aiken, S.C, Katie Clark (Shawn Sensel) of Waterloo, IL; stepsons, Larry, Jeff and Paul; sisters, Annette and Deborah; three brothers, Darrell, Jon and Frank; grandchildren, Andrew Clark, ten grandchildren; cousin, Dana Reinhardt; and six great-grandchildren. She was proceeded in death by her mother, Dolores; father, William; and brothers, Patrick and Charles Ellsworth.
Arrangements by Zipperer’s Funeral Home in Ruskin, FL.