Lawrence (Larry) Eugene Watson, loving husband of Carol Lynne Swift Watson, unexpectedly died at his home in Bremerton, WA on May 12, 2026, at the age of 86. Husband, brother, father, grandfather, and uncle, Larry will be missed by his many friends and family. Larry and his twin brother Jerry were born on January 5, 1940 to Frederic Eugene Watson and Virginia Ione Petticrew Watson in Denver, Colorado. He grew up in Wheat Ridge, CO and graduated from Wheat Ridge High School in 1958. Music was one of his interests and he played trombone in the concert band, pep band, and dance band. He freely admits, "We weren't very good, but we were loud!"

Larry attended Colorado State University and graduated in 1962 with a Bachelor's Degree in Landscape and Nursery Management. Larry got his start in the nursery industry at the age of 12 when he and Jerry weeded conifer seedbeds for Harry Swift, the owner of Western Evergreens Nursery and the uncle of Carol Swift. Larry worked for Western Evergreens Nursery off and on through high school and college, and Harry prompted him to major in horticulture at CSU.

Larry had his own landscape contracting business for 3 years, followed by 3 years as a CSU Extension Agent in Jefferson County, CO. He returned to Western Evergreens in 1968 and remained there until he went to work at Little Valley Wholesale Nursery in 1980.

Larry met Carol through her uncle, Harry Swift, and they married in 1965 in Wheat Ridge, CO. They bought property adjacent to Western Evergreens and raised their sons, Brian and Bruce, there.

 Larry went to work for himself in 1991 and built a business, Plants for Today and Tomorrow, that spanned the western United States. Larry drove miles and miles across the west visiting nurseries, growers, and various plant people. He was, in his own words, a plant broker who made "marriage ceremonies" between buyers and sellers. He also exhibited at several horticulture trade shows in the western US and was widely known and respected in the nursery industry, making many friends with his witty humor and warm personality.

Larry worked hard as a member of the Colorado Nursery and Greenhouse Association, serving in many leadership roles and helping establish the ongoing certification program and the Colorado Horticulture Research & Education Foundation which annually awards scholarships to aspiring students. Larry enthusiastically participated in the efforts of Denver Digs Trees (which every year had a tree planting event), the Xeriscaping movement (which actively encourages landscaping with less water), and Plant Select (which promotes the use of newly developed plant varieties).

Larry grew up in the United Methodist Church in CO and was an active member of Wheat Ridge United Methodist Church. After he and Carol moved to Bremerton in 2010, they joined the Bremerton United Methodist Church. Wherever he was, the church community was an important part of his life. He helped out wherever help was needed and dug into whatever needed doing, whether that was weeding the grounds, cooking meals for church suppers, leading the church youth group on ski trips, serving on any and all committees, and stewarding the church finances.

Larry and Carol loved being in the Colorado Rockies and took their sons on many memorable camping trips. On family hikes Larry never missed an opportunity to forage for seeds from native plants, drop a line into a lake, or simply take a nap with a rock as a pillow while waiting for the rest of the family to catch up.

Larry and Carol moved to Bremerton to be closer to family in 2010. Understanding the fundamentals of transplanting, Larry immediately set down roots in his new home, getting involved with Toastmasters, tending a garden plot at Blueberry Park, and becoming an integral part of his church where he planted, weeded, watered, dug gardens, pruned, swept the walkways, treated the moss, even painted the curbing - anything to make the church look vibrant and inviting. In 2023 he and Carol moved to The Willows in East Bremerton. There Larry attended exercise class, cribbage club, and tended a small garden of flowers.

Larry was predeceased by his parents, Frederic and Virginia Watson and his twin brother Gerald "Jerry" Watson. He is survived by his loving wife Carol, his brother Keith Watson (Mary Ann), his sons Brian Watson (Elizabeth Roberts) and Bruce Watson, his grandchildren Adam Watson, Ryan Watson, Kallie Watson, and Kristopher “Gabriel” Roberts-Watson, and many friends and extended family.

A memorial service will be held for Larry at Bremerton United Methodist Church on Saturday, July 11 at 2:30 PM. Later this summer there will be a gathering in Colorado where his many friends and colleagues can celebrate his life and where his immediate family will gather to spread his ashes in the special place where he and Carol would camp each summer in the Colorado Rockies.

Memorial contributions may be made to Larry's church, Bremerton United Methodist Church, or the Colorado Horticulture Research & Education Foundation (CHREF) at 959 South Kipling Parkway, Suite 200, Lakewood CO 80226.