Marvin Ray Watters

Marvin Ray Watters

Marvin Ray Watters was born on the last day of the last month, December 31,1957 in Visalia California. He was the sixth child of the union of Willie Lee Watters and Jaqulyn Lorene Raya.

Marvin had a complicated life. He lived at times with his Dad and his Mom. When he was younger, he could be obstinate and throw temper tantrums and stomp around, but he was a beloved son and brother.  Growing up with his siblings there was a funny thing they did. It was a tug of war over a spoon called a “wobbie” spoon, which was really a soup spoon, Marvin always seemed to win.

Marvin as a child had a wonderful imagination and he loved the character Batman.  He would tie a towel around his neck, and he would become “Batman”. One of his early teachers even made him a Batman costume that he often wore while watching his favorite Batman shows.

Marvin lived with his family in many places including his younger years in Northern California, Los Angeles, and Visalia. During these years Marvin developed his athletic talent and was quite acrobatic. He enjoyed showing off those skills with flips, jumps, and tumbles. He was fearless even flipping off the roofs of houses. While in Los Angeles he competed with other groups in the neighborhood, and he always seemed to be the best.

Marvin loved being with his family.  He enjoyed family gatherings, and when you saw his Mom you saw Marvin, often carrying a pot of her chili beans for the family get togethers He loved her chili beans, and she always fixed them for him. He was her road dog. She would even take him with her to Bingo. Usually at family gatherings he would sit quietly and observed what was going on, sometimes he would be just eating, but he would stop and talk to you about anything. To know Marvin was to know that he was kind, and in his later years easy going, with a quick smile, and an easy laugh. He was always willing to lend a helping hand to anyone who needed it. You would see him walking around his neighborhood with his rake. If you needed raking done, he was your guy.  Sometimes the yards though, were empty lots.

 He lived in his later years with his brother Michael, but every year he would spend two months with his Mom at her house while her husband was away in Mexico. He would fix her coffee and take it to her in bed along with the morning paper. And every day that he wasn’t with her, he would call her up and talk to her. Sometimes she would go pick him up and they would go do one of his favorite things, go get hamburgers or Kentucky Fried.  Sometimes he would tell his Mom to take him to see his “Sister BJ and “Brother-in-law James, and his brothers Ervin and Ronald.  If you knew Marvin, you probably have a funny “Marvin” story.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Everette and Lena, and Lorene and General, his brother Melvin, and sister Roxanne.

He leaves to cherish his memory his mother Jacqulyn Raya, (Salvador), sister Barbara Jean Washington ( James), brothers Willie Lee Jr., Michael Phillip, Ervin Gerald, and Ronald Jay Watters. And a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.