On January 6, 2021, the Angels came and our Lord opened His arms to receive our Beloved Harriet Mayhall St. Clair Watson.  Born in Tampa, Florida, her parents, Harry and Jerine Mayhall from Orleans, Indiana, lived near the University of Tampa where her mother ran a boarding house and her father worked for Coca Cola.  At that time, the Fairgrounds were nearby, and Royal American Shows wintered there on the train.  Many of the show people ate at "Mom's", and Harriet, her sister Pauline, and her brother John, always shared  fond memories of those days.  After moving to Riverview in 1939, many of the show people would come out to the house for dinner every Sunday evening, never knowing how many to expect.

Always a Methodist, Harriet, Pauline and John would walk to Hyde Park Methodist Church every Sunday in Tampa.  In Riverview, Harriet played the clarinet in the Methodist Church Orchestra, and also in the Brandon High School Band, where she became Drum Major.  After graduating in l945, she married her high school sweetheart, Fred (Sonny) St. Clair, Jr., and being wartime, moved to Washington, DC, where Fred was in the Navy.  When the war ended, they moved back to Brandon, where their daughter Brenda was born in l946.

Harriet began working at the age of 15 in the cigar factories of Ybor City rolling cigars.  She later worked at Maas Bros. Department Store in downtown Tampa, and became a buyer in the lingerie department.  When Brenda started school, she began working in the school lunchroom in Brandon to be at home more.  When Brenda was 8, she enrolled in the University of Tampa where she earned her Bachelor's Degree and began teaching the first and second grades at Yates, Mango and MacDonald Elementary Schools.  Former Hillsborough County Sheriff, David Gee, told her that she was the best teacher he ever had!  She earned her Master's Degree in Supervision and Administration from UT, and ended the last ten years of her 30-year career in Hillsborough County as Supervisor of Middle School Personnel, where she recruited teachers at colleges and universities.  Living in Riverview, in l981 she married Jim Watson, who owned J. W. Watson Trucking in Tampa.  After retiring in l989, they took a five-month trip in their RV to Alaska, along the Marine Highway.  They spent many wonderful years together traveling and camping until his death in l997.  In l998 Harriet and Brenda began living together with many fond memories of their home in Murphy, NC, their condo on Madeira Beach, and their townhouse in Brandon since 2006.  Traveling and antiquing, camping in  their motorhome, and later as "Vanna's Gypsies", Harriet was always adventurous, looking forward to the next trip, loved to read a map, and was never boring.  Anyone who knew Harriet loved and admired her not only for her beauty, but for the beauty in her heart.  Always a lady, kind and funny, she loved to play games and puzzles, be with family and friends, and entertain.  Like her Mother, you were always welcome in Harriet's home...especially during Happy Hour!  A wonderful cook, an avid quilter, a devoted Christian, and a loving aunt to many nieces and nephews, and Indiana cousins.  She will be missed for her gracious spirit and zest for life, and her love.

At her request, there will be no services.  At a later time, a gathering of friends and family will be planned to celebrate her life.  You may make a donation in her memory to the United Methodist Children's Home in Enterprise, Florida, Schools for Haiti, Tampa, or a charity of your choice.  For those she leaves behind, we will cherish her memory and be grateful for having her in our lives.