09/14/2026
We lost someone incredibly important to our festival and community. This loss comes as a shock and hard blow to many of us who considered Mike a friend, mentor, brother, and even father. He loved our festival, and had a knack for bringing others under his wing. To say he will be missed is an understatement. Please keep Kathy, Kemp, C.J. and the rest of the family in your thoughts and prayers as they grieve through this tremendous loss.
Please share any photos you have of/with Mike in the comments as a tribute!
Obituary and service information can be found below.
Michael “Mike” Raynor Watson, 76, of Winterville, North Carolina passed away at home on Friday, September 11, 2026. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 19, 2026 at 4pm at Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel in Greenville, NC. The family will receive friends and loved ones before the service at 3pm.
Mike was born in New Bern, NC on March 27, 1950, to the late J.K. and Jewel Watson. He was the third born and only son of four children.
Mike grew up in New Bern and graduated from New Bern High School in 1968 and received a BA in Industrial Technology from East Carolina University in 1976. He spent some years as a sales engineer for companies such as Stanley Power Tools before working for most of his career as a manufacturing engineer at the Kinston Neuse Corporation, manufacturing Crown forklift trucks. He retired in 2017.
Mike was married to his “better ¾” Kathy for 47 years. They knew each other as children growing up in New Bern, and after Mike finished his degree, he and Kathy began to date and married in 1979. After living in Raleigh, South Carolina, and Kinston, they settled in Winterville, NC in 1995 where they made their life and raised their family. Mike loved Kathy dearly, and they loved to spend time together s**g dancing, playing racquetball, and gardening.
Mike was a loving and dedicated father to his two children, C.J. and Kemp. He was a coach for Kemp playing baseball, where they spent many hours together practicing and talking about life on car rides to games. He supported C.J. as her “roadie” in her piano performance career, and they loved to ride a tandem bike together.
Mike loved supporting his community in many ways. He was an active member of the Society of Manufacturing Engineers and Skills USA, organizing local chapters, serving on scholarship committees, and judging competitions for young engineers. He was a long-time member of Jarvis United Methodist Church, where you could often find him in the sound booth. Mike loved the Winterville Watermelon Festival and was integral to the planning and organization of the festival for almost 30 years. He also spent many years teaching night engineering classes at Pitt Community College and working as a substitute teacher in Pitt County Schools. He loved to be out at the golf course, playing with friends and working as a ranger at Ayden Country Club.
Mike will always be remembered for his friendship, positive attitude and openness to all he encountered. Mike never met a stranger and was happiest when having a good time with everyone, sharing good food and beers, and creating community.
Mike is survived by his precious wife of 47 years, Kathy. He is also survived by his daughter, C.J. Fish and her husband, Mike of Mechanicsville, VA, and their four children Gabriel, Isaiah, Moriah, and Jeremy; Kemp Watson-Ormond and his wife Rose of Saxapahaw, NC and their two children, Levin and Elowen. Additionally, he is survived by his three sisters, Jewel Snipes, Sherry Parker and her husband Charles, and Lynn Shuffler and her husband Jimmie.
Other than his parents, he is preceded in death by his brother-in-law Ron Snipes.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Skills USA at https://www.skillsusa.org/support-skillsusa/donate/.
