Wenefrett ‘Wene’ Cecelia Phillips Watson, 100, passed away on Nov. 9, 2021, in Oakland.

She was born on Oct. 29, 1921, in Marshall, Texas.

She earned a B.A. in English literature at Bishop College and Library Science degree at University of Southern California. She met and married James A. Watson, a Howard University medical student, in Wash., D.C. They relocated to Oakland in the late 1950s.

Mrs. Watson became active in the Oakland Public Schools, the Oakland Museum Commission, Oakland Symphony Board, the NAACP and the Urban League. As president of the Oakland Bay Area Chapter of the Links, Inc., Mrs. Watson helped start the Black Filmmakers Hall of Fame. She and her husband were co-founders of Berkeley’s Church by the Side of the Road.

Mrs. Watson created and managed WenTravel and Cruise travel agency on the first floor of the then newly constructed Oakland Marriott Downtown Hotel, Convention and Transportation Center in 1984. She retired in 1996 and later reinvolved herself in the Links as well as the Oakland Museum where she spent 20 years playing a major role in ensuring African Americans were represented fairly and adequately.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Dr. James Watson; daughter, Janet Watson David; granddaughter Tiffany and grandson H. Geoffrey Watson, II.

She is survived by her children and many relatives and friends.

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