Charles E. "Gene" Watkins was born May 19, 1922 to Charles Oscar Watkins and Mary Catherine (Hiner) Watkins on a farm southwest of Anthony.  He graduated from the country grade school "Beaver College" in 1936 and graduated from Anthony High School in 1940.  He attended one year at Kansas State University before being drafted in 1942 and spent the next four years in the Army, serving two of those years in Iran, China, Burma, and India, and was honorably discharged from active duty on March 26, 1946, and then was on active reserve until 1953 with the rank of Captain.  He continued his studies at Kansas State University graduating in 1949 with a Bachelor of Science in Education degree.  He started teaching in 1955 and in May 1960, he was awarded the Freedom Foundation Award, a special award for outstanding teaching. In 1963, he received his Master of Science in Education Administration degree from Kansas State University.   Additional graduate work was completed at the National Science Foundation as a Fellow; Colorado State, Fort Collins, CO; Alamosa State, Alamosa, CO; Western State, Gunnison, CO; Wichita State, Wichita, KS; Portland State, Portland, Oregon; Southern Utah, Cedar City, Utah; Atlanta, Georgia; and Kamehameha, Hawaii.

He retired from teaching in 1989 after employment at Kiowa, Buhler, Chaparral, and Goddard schools.  He followed with one semester at Pratt Community College and one year as the curriculum assistant at the State Department of Education.

Following in his dad's footsteps, Charles farmed his whole life with farms in Anthony and Kiowa and received the Outstanding Conservation Award in 1957 and 1992 for Barber County, Kansas.

In 2005, he was elected to the Kansas Teacher's Hall of Fame in Dodge City, KS.

On October 3, 1942, he married Bobbe D. Ikerd of Kiowa, a 2 ^nd year student at KU, and to this union 3 children were born, Keith E, deceased in 1994, Marsha Lynn in 1947, and Janet Sue in 1949.  Bobbe passed away on August 30, 2006.  He is survived by his daughters, Marsha and Janet, grandsons: Dain, Travis, Brice, Matt, Jared, K.C.; granddaughter, Jodi; 21 great-grandchildren; 1 great-great granddaughter.

Charles held numerous positions with the hospitals, churches, and state and local educational organizations.  And since 1991 has served continually with the Kansas Association of Retired School Personal Budget Committee in Topeka, Kansas.

Visitation with the family will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, May 11, 2022 at Prairie Rose Funeral Home in Anthony.

Graveside service will be held 10:30 a.m. Thursday, May 12, 2022 at the Riverview Cemetery in Kiowa, Kansas with Military Honors by Fort Riley Honor Guard.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Hopewell Presbyterian Church, and can be sent in care of Prairie Rose Funeral Home, 602 E. Main St., Anthony, KS 67003.