Gloria May Watt

Gloria May was born in St. Mary, Jamaica on June 6, 1929. She was the daughter of Joseph Carnegie and Alma Watson. As a small child, Gloria lived with her mother in St. Mary but later moved to Portland to live with her father. After a few years in Portland, Gloria moved back to St. Mary to live with her Aunt Nettie and to finish high school. After graduation, Gloria decided she wanted to be a nurse and upon being accepted into nursing school, she moved to Kingston to continue her education. She studied at Kingston Public Hospital and University Hospital. After completing nursing school, Gloria began working as a pediatric nurse at St. James Public Hospital in Montego Bay. It was in Montego Bay where her cousin May introduced her to a young building contractor named Frank Watt. They started dating and were later married on July 27,1955. As a new wife, Gloria left nursing to focus on her husband and her home. In September of their 5th year of marriage, Gloria gave birth to her loving daughter Opal. While busy with the everyday duties of being a wife and a mother, Gloria always found time for her family and friends. She adored children and constantly had her nieces, nephews, and god children spending extended periods of time with her. She was always full of fun and loved to dance and entertain. From fancy cocktail parties for her husband’s business contacts to weekend guests in her home, she had a very active social life and was known for being a thoughtful and gracious host. In addition to caring for her family and friends, Gloria had a passion for both gardening and cooking. She loved flowers and grew many different varieties in her Montego Bay garden. Her red ginger lilies were so beautiful she would often donated them to her church or sell them to local florists for their arrangements. She also grew roses, zinnias, snapdragons and many other varieties of flowers which she used to decorate her home. Gloria was also an accomplished baker and cook. She made delicious cakes, cinnamon rolls, lemon meringue pies, doughnuts and patties. Her curry goat, ackee and saltfish, and fried dumplings would make your mouth water. After mastering Jamaican food, Gloria and her friends took lessons from a Chinese chef to learn how to make authentic Chinese food. Her delicious sweet and sour pork, fried rice, and many other Chinese dishes were served to friends and family whenever they visited. Once her daughter Opal started school, Gloria decided it was time to go back to nursing. She took on a few private duty cases and later started working part-time at Cornwall Regional Hospital when it first opened. Though she was once again working, Gloria loved traveling and would often go to either New York or Florida to shop and visit friends and relatives. She and her girlfriends, Cynthia and Lilla, were some of the first visitors to experience Walt Disney World when it opened in 1971. Gloria, being a kid at heart, thought it was an amazing experience and enjoyed meeting Micky Mouse in person. She loved the animated characters and live shows. In 1978, Gloria convinced her husband Frank to relocate to Florida. She lived in North Miami Beach for 26 year and continued working as a nurse at South Eastern Medical Center. In 2004, Gloria moved to Altamonte Springs to be near her daughter Opal after the unexpected passing of her husband of 49 years. She spent the last 13 years of her life in Altamonte Springs and at the age of 89 she took her final breath on the evening of July 28, 2018. Gloria is survived by her daughter Opal, her sister Carol (Pam), her brother Denzel, and the numerous nieces, nephews, and god children that she loved dearly. Gloria May Watt lived a full life. She was a devoted wife, mother, and friend. She will be greatly missed by those who loved her. Arrangements are entrusted to DeGusipe Funeral Home and Crematory, 9001 N Orlando, Ave, Maitland, Florida 32751, 407-695-CARE(2273)

Gloria May Watt

June 6, 1929 - July 28, 2018