~ IN MEMORY ~
USAF veteran, DL Capt. William Henry
"Bill" Watts
May 17, 1941 ~ July 17, 2026
During his time at Delta, Bill furthered the
modernization of aviation safety as he helped bring the Heads-Up Display (HUD)
to pilots and was instrumental in the design of the first crew rest facility on
the B-777. Bill retired as the Director
of Flight Operations in 2002……………
Bill began his commercial flying career with Delta
Air Lines 11-06-1972 and was based Atlanta.
He is survived by his wife Lynda, and by his children and their
families.
Services
for Bill will be held July 30 in Marietta GA…please see obituary below for that
information.
PCN memorial site
https://www.mayeswarddobbins.com/obituaries/William-Henry-Bill-Watts?obId=49083129
William Henry
"Bill" Watts Obituary
William Henry Watts, “Bill”, 85, passed away Friday,
July 17, 2026. Bill was born on May 17, 1941 in Winchester, Kentucky to Dewitt
Edward Watts and Caroline Brock Watts. The Watts family moved to Hazard in
Eastern Kentucky early in Bill’s life. He was thankful to have grown up in a
small town that had a strong sense of community and a desire to help those in
need. Those values fundamentally shaped him and were why he was always quick to
say he was a “proud hillbilly from the hills of Kentucky.” Those same “hills”
are the beautiful country where he learned how to fly a J-3 Piper Cub owned by
his father and two other residents of Hazard. After moving to Cincinnati his
senior year, he moved to Atlanta to attend the Georgia Institute of Technology.
While at Georgia Tech, he met Lynda Louise Heflin, whom he affectionately
called “Miss Scarlett.” She appropriately called him “Rhett”. Bill and Lynda
married on July 10, 1966 in Griffin, Georgia. Bill graduated with his
bachelor’s degree in Aerospace Engineering and a master’s degree in Industrial
Management from Georgia Tech, and an MBA from Georgia State University.
Following their marriage, Bill and Lynda moved to Texas
for Bill to begin pilot training with the Air Force. During the drive to Del
Rio, Texas, where it was over 100 degrees in the desert, Lynda asked Bill,
“Where the hell are you taking me?” She never left his side for 60 years. He
joined the United States Air Force as a Second Lieutenant on June 30, 1966. He
was initially assigned to the C-141 supporting logistics and supplies for
Vietnam and flying the wounded and deceased military personnel back from Vietnam.
Bill and Lynda made lifelong friends during these formative years as a young
married couple.
Bill served in the Vietnam War flying the C-47.
During his time in Vietnam, Bill’s unit was tasked with
dropping flares at night to help fighter aircraft and ground troops see their
enemy targets more easily. After returning from Vietnam, he was honorably
discharged on August 4, 1971.
After his military career, Bill went to work for IBM
but realized his love for flying was pulling him back to the skies. He received
a pilot position with Delta Air Lines and flew for 28 years. He held various
pilot instructing, technical pilot, and management roles. During his time at
Delta, Bill furthered the modernization of aviation safety as he helped bring
the Heads-Up Display (HUD) to pilots and was instrumental in the design of the
first crew rest facility on the B-777.
Bill retired as the Director of Flight Operations in
2002. In retirement, he worked with Delta, NASA, and the FAA to create and
patent the Flight Weather Viewer application for Delta’s pilots to help avoid
hazardous weather. This was one of the first apps in the aviation industry that
helps avoid turbulence to plan for and mitigate crew member and passenger
injuries.
As much as he enjoyed these projects, his love of his
family and his community were the driving forces behind his work and
professional accomplishments. Bill loved the verses found in Romans 5:3-5, “But
we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and
endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not
put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the
Holy Spirit who has been given to us.”
Through his strong faith in the Lord, Bill faithfully
provided care for Lynda as she has battled Multiple Sclerosis for over 40
years. Bill was known as “Papa”, and was a devoted and loving grandfather to
his six grandchildren, as well as many foster children who were a part of the
Watts families for many years.
Bill is survived by his beloved wife, Lynda; children,
Jennifer Bell (Buddy), Kevin Watts (Rosemary), and Stephen Watts (Stephanie);
grandchildren, Caroline Bell, Katherine Allen (Wesley), Abigail and Avery
Watts, Elizabeth and Anna Grace Watts; and his sister Elizabeth “Betty”
Benavides.
A Celebration of Life service will be held for William
H. Watts on Thursday, July 30, 2026 from 10 to 11 am in the sanctuary of
Johnson Ferry Baptist Church in Marietta, Georgia (Visitation from 9 to 10 am).
There will be a military honors graveside service at the Georgia National
Cemetery from 1 to 1:30pm (1080 Scott Hudgens Drive Canton, GA 30114) on the
same day. All are welcome to both services or either one.
In lieu of flowers, please donate in Bill’s memory to
the Fellowship of Christian Airline Personnel (fcap.org) or the First Care
Women’s Clinic ( firstcarewomensclinic.com/en/donation/ )
