Beryl Vinton Watson was born on September 13, 1950 in Endeavor District, Manchester, Jamaica. Beryl (Auntie Bea/Ms. Beryl) was the only child for her father, Wilburn Watson, and the last of five for her mother, Lurlene Embden. By all account, Auntie Bea was very much a loved child who was the apple of her father’s eyes. Despite her humble roots, Beryl had a wonderful childhood that involved spending a lot of quality time with friends and her very large extended family. She loved her family—siblings and cousins fiercely—and devoted much of her life building and maintaining loving and lasting relationships with them.
Like many young people of her generation, Beryl moved to Kingston, Jamaica to gain new experiences as well as improve her life trajectory. As a new arrival, Auntie Bea made finding a church a priority. She joined All Saints Anglican Church around 1965 and made it her home away from home—both spiritually and emotionally. Beryl remained a fully participating member of All Saints Anglican Church until she immigrated to the United States (Boston, MA) in 1986. Beryl had such a deep love for the church that she faithfully stayed in contact with its members. Upon moving to Boston, Auntie Bea found another spiritual home when she became a long standing member of Church of the Holy Spirit where she remained until the end.
Auntie Bea lived a very principled and values driven life that was grounded in her need to be a member of a loving and caring community of people. It was not unusual to hear her advise people to Live their lives in service of others (No man is an island); Do everything in their power to encourage each child they meet so that they can become their best self; Celebrate each other’s accomplishments in honor of and respect for the journey that each of us has taken to achieve and attain our good fortune and success; and, Live life to the fullest.
Ms. Beryl was an uber-extrovert who many would describe as a connector and community builder. She genuinely enjoyed meeting people and was intentional about establishing and maintaining meaningful relationships with them so much so that she was able to build an extensive community that included people in Jamaica, Barbados, Canada, England and the continental U.S. As a matter of fact, Auntie Bea loved helping people and derived great satisfaction when she could connect people with someone who could help them answer pressing questions or resolve challenging situations.
Auntie Bea is survived by her only and beloved daughter, Aretha Miller; two sisters—Zena Cole and Venlyn Evans; two nephews—Everad Campbell and Bobby Cole; two nieces—Samantha Evans and Emma Evans; and, numerous relatives and dear friends.
“You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.”—Eleanor Roosevelt
Funeral Services in the Church of the Holy Spirit, 525 River Street, Mattapan on Saturday October 14, 2017 at 10 AM. with a viewing hour prior to the service from 9-10 AM.
The Interment will be in Oak Lawn Cemetery Roslindale.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Church of the Holy Spirit, or to the charity of one's choice