Wayne Thigpen Watkins | Eastern NC Now

Mr. Wayne Thigpen Watkins, age 69, a resident of Washington, NC died Saturday July 5, 2025, at his home.

ENCNow
    Mr. Wayne Thigpen Watkins, age 69, a resident of Washington, NC died Saturday July 5, 2025, at his home.

    A memorial service will be held later at First Baptist Church of Washington officiated by Rev. Matt Carr. The family will receive friends before the service at the church.

    In lieu of flowers the family kindly asks that memorial contributions be made to the Watkins Athletic Award, Beaufort County Humane Society, or St Jude Hospital.

    Online condolences may be offered to the family by visiting www.paulfuneralhome.com

    Paul Funeral Home & Crematory of Washington is honored to serve the Watkins family.
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( July 8th, 2025 @ 10:08 am )
 
I called him Thigpen or Thig, only that. We were childhood friends when we both lived on East Main Street in Washington, NC.

Also, Thigpen, Rodney Perry and myself were the only members of our class selected to try out for the Washington Pam Pack varsity in 1970, as sophomores; we all three made it, and we all made solid contributions to that 1970 team.

That 1970 season was one of the best football teams in Pam Pack history, and our storied loss to Tarboro at tiny Kugler Field drew about 8,000 football fans from all over the region, as both teams were undefeated late in the season; ranked 1st and 2nd in 3A football, over the entire state of North Carolina. During that hard-fought game, we battled valiantly for the conference championship, and the right take on all challengers in the state championship round.

For some innate reason, I have always felt unusually close to Thig, and when we infrequently saw each other, we could talk about everything well beyond our many days playing football on so many levels. Thigpen was such a real person, and I really dig what is real.

I have always liked his wife, Kim; I am friends with his son, Ryal. These are my good constituents, the best of them; truly real people. In some small way now, I share their terrible loss.

There is a deep hole in the fabric of Washington and Beaufort County now that Thigpen is gone ... I truly mean that.



James Vann Larkin Jr. Obituaries, Memorial Billy Franklin Gordon Sr.


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