Martha Foster Watts

Martha Naomi Foster Watts
November 5, 1926 – December 29, 2023

Martha Foster Watts, age 97, widow of Richard D. Watts passed away Friday, December 29, 2023 at The Langston Home in Clinton, South Carolina.

Martha was born in Gastonia, North Carolina and was the daughter of the late Samuel Columbus and Bessie Mae Primm Foster.

Martha, otherwise known as Nanny by her children, grandchildren, and great grands, lived a long wonderful life full of sass, dancing, and bingo. She worked in the school cafeteria while her children were young and then became a waitress, working until her early 80s because she loved seeing her regular customers.

Throughout her adult life, Martha and Richard (“Papa”) were active members of the Shriners and enjoyed raising money for the Children’s Hospital. They spent years going to various Shriners’ events throughout the state. Nanny would often reference her love for tap dancing and how much she and Papa would dance the nights away.

Nanny never let anyone leave her house hungry and would insist all guests eat…even if not hungry because how could anyone not want food? She was known for her banana pudding, cornbread, sausage biscuits, egg salad and sweet tea. Regardless of the time of the year, Nanny always had ice cream in the freezer and would often save the morning coffee to make her special coffee ice cream for her grandchildren. Like we said, Nanny would not let you leave her home without eating something!

Nanny and Papa never missed calling any of their children, grands, or great grands to sing Happy Birthday and Nanny continued the tradition with passion and a smile in her voice since Papa’s passing in 2014. Oh, how we will ALL miss those special calls and songs.

So many years of love bring a wealth of memories that can never be condensed to one white page in a newspaper. The smell of freshly folded laundry during college visits, the backyard pool parties, the bingo games, and her love for baseball will all be forever etched in our hearts.

Nanny is survived by her five children: Dickie Watts (Deborah), Phyllis Hunter (Mack), Susan Fersner, Lou Watts, and Dale Watts; her seven grandchildren: Amber, Chaucer, Cole, Whitney, Tyler, Jarrod, and Steven, and her ten great grandchildren. In addition to her parents and husband, Martha is predeceased by her brothers, Harvey Foster, Harry Foster, Paul Foster, Hoyle Foster, Lloyd Foster, Charlie Foster, and Richard Foster, as well as her two sisters, Dorothy Foster Trammell and Laura Burns.

Per Nanny’s request, there will be a private family Celebration of Life at a future date which will likely center around bingo and food.