Obituary – Donna Watts Pettus

Published 11:55 am Tuesday, January 14, 2025

Donna Watts Pettus,70, a resident of New Brockton, passed away peacefully in her home on Sunday, Jan. 12. Funeral services for Donna will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 16, from the Chapel of Turners Funeral Home with Rev. Johnny Jones officiating. Interment will follow in Live Oak Cemetery with Turners Funeral Home of Luverne directing. The family will receive friends at the funeral home on Thursday for one hour prior to the service. 

Donna took enormous pride in the loving and nurturing home that she created with the love of her life, Curtis. One of her favorite activities was opening that home to her family and friends for home-cooked meals and lots of fun and laughter. No surprise then that Thanksgiving and Christmas were two of her favorite days every year. No one made better fried chicken, and her cornbread dressing was indeed so beloved by all of them that she had to teach Curtis how to make it when she no longer could. But that was who she was: always putting everyone else first. Not a day went by where she wasn’t checking on her children to make sure all was well in their world as she did with everyone who meant the world to her. 

Donna and Curtis were blessed to have a strong and supportive partnership, as evidenced by him learning to cook her dressing and all of the time and effort into tending to the beautiful flowers she had worked so hard to cultivate over the years. They were phenomenal role models in that regard, and everyone should be so fortunate to find a love like that. Given her easygoing and fun-loving personality, it’s no wonder she was the center of her family’s world. That love did not stop with her family however but also extended to her friends and every animal she ever came in contact with. Her faithful companion, Milo, was never far from her side when she was at home and that was exactly how she wanted it. In her free time, she loved to listen to the music of Elvis Presley and Celine Dion, as well as creating an immense collection of figurines, primarily of farm animals and dogs. Above all, there was nothing she loved more than being a devoted wife, mother and grandmother who cherished her family as her greatest treasure on this earth. The blessing is that they all loved her back just as much and will be missed more than words could possibly express. 

Donna was preceded in death by her parents, Clifford and Evlyn McCourry Watts. She is survived by her loving husband of 46 years, Curtis Pettus; their children, Regina Lynn (Wayne) Brown and Donnie Ray Easler; grandson, Bailey O’Neal (Makaylah) Davis; siblings, Timmie Watts, Clifford Watts, Sherry Watts and Vickie Watts; her special canine companion, Milo; and a host of nieces, nephews, extended family members and friends. 

Active pallbearers will be David Adams, Lee Brown, Wayne Brown, Bailey Davis, Gabriel Davis and George Martin.