Nolan J. Watson, 52, of Derry, NH died Thursday, July 9, 2020, at his home. Nolan was born in Cambridge, MA on December 5, 1967, the son of Louise Coleman. Nolan had resided in Derry for the past 16 years. He was employed as an IT specialist with Cognizant Technologies Corp. based in NJ.
He is survived by his wife, Mary (Dudziak) Watson of Derry, his two children Dani and Jacob, his mother of Sherborn, MA, as well as aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
An outdoor celebration of Nolan’s life will be scheduled for Saturday, August 15th at 1:00 at the Pacifists Memorial in Sherborn, Massachusetts with a reception to follow at The Heritage of Sherborn Inn. The Peabody Funeral Homes and Crematorium, 15 Birch St., Derry is assisting the family with arrangements.
In Memoriam
by Louise Coleman
Nolan is an old Irish name. The original Irish surname was O'Nuallin, or grandson of Nuallan, a personal name derived from the Irish meaning either 'shout', cry' or 'noble, famous'. Nolan Watson died way too young on July 9th. Early that morning. Given his stalwart personality and the antiquity of his name, it feels inevitable that a version of Nolan will prevail, move forward.
Nolan was born on December 5, 1967 in the Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, Massachusetts. Nolan was lucky to grow up in Cambridge at that time. The city still felt like a manageable, familiar place. Nolan went to the Montessori School and he learned practical skills. He was industrious. Nolan pleased the neighbors in the building - he washed all the floors, stairs, and landings. The mop was much taller than he was.
Nolan's first paying job was working with a person who had a local paper route. At that time the way newspapers were delivered was that there was a set route and one person drove the car while another person got a newspaper to each subscriber. The person Nolan worked for really liked him. Nolan worked hard every day. He was on time and diligent. The problem was that the driver was an intensely racist person and often said derogatory things about black people. Nolan quit on him. Nolan was, even as a child, someone who understood and acted on principle.
A lifelong interest for Nolan was the Big Brother organization. He created constancy and stability for boys who were growing up without a father. Nolan knew what that was like. He also knew how positive it felt when men set an example for him and encouraged his efforts. Nolan's love for his children, Dani and Jacob was resolute, constant, and affectionate. His wife, Mary, beloved. Loved in the most steadfast way possible.
My last two messages to Nolan were “I will do whatever will help you”, “You are the best person I know”'. Nolan answered - “Thank you” & “thank 'ypu' “