FAMILY PLACED OBITUARY

NORMA LILLIAN (PONI) WATSON
NORMA LILLIAN (PONI) WATSON Poni Watson died in Kailua on November 9, 2011 at the age of 91. Born in Los Angeles in 1920, she was the only child of Florence and Roland Baruch. After attending UCLA, Poni married Chuck Watson in 1941. They moved to Hawaii in 1946 after which Chuck became President of Hawaiian Dredging & Construction Company. Chuck and Poni were the first family to build a home in Dune Circle, Kailua in 1948. Later they moved to Lanikai where the family home remains. Chuck died in 2002. Poni's optimistic and upbeat personality was inspirational. She was loved and admired by all who knew her. Family and friends enjoyed being with her either at the Opera, the bridge table or the MidPacific Country Club golf course. She welcomed visitors (including Opera Stars during their Hawaii stays) into her beautiful Lanikai home. She had great influence in her chosen profession as a Realtor Extraordinaire. As a Principal Broker for Wade Realty, for decades she was one of the Wonder Women of Kailua Real Estate. Poni loved the Hawaii Opera Theater and Honolulu Symphony. She served on the Board of Directors of the Hawaii Opera Theater for many years, never missing a rehearsal, performance, or the opportunity to take a batch of her freshly baked cookies for the cast and crew. Poni also loved to travel and visited many exotic places, including taking African safaris and crawling through the Pyramids of Egypt at 75 years young. She also took her children and grandchildren on four ocean cruises between 1996 and 2001. Regardless of where she went, Poni would always happily return to her Lanikai home, the place she knew to be the most beautiful in the world. Poni's children considered her to be a wonderful mother and grandmother who loved them all without reservation. She is survived by three children, Kerry Watson, who lives in Bali; Cathi Sanders and Wendy Erickson, both of whom live in Kailua, and seven grandchildren: Liana Vegas, Cully Erickson, Alyssa Erickson, Brian Sanders, Riley Sanders, Julia Sanders, and Zadoc Watson. The family will hold a private ceremony at her home in Lanikai, Aloha, Poni! We will miss but never forget your sweet smile and gentle touch.

Our deepest condolences to the family and friends of the deceased

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