LeRoy Watkins

LEROY WATKINS

Cedar Rapids

LeRoy Gage Watkins died surrounded by family at St. Luke's Hospice Unit on May 6, 2015, due to complications from vascular dementia.

Roy was born Feb. 19, 1928, to Pearl Gage Watkins and the Rev. Jessie Ralph Watkins in Oklahoma City, Okla. He was a devoted father, husband and educator. His life was spent serving and loving others regardless of their race, creed or background. He was a passionate advocate for the underdog and a lifelong social activist.

Roy attended high school in Stafford, Kan., and graduated from Courtland High School, Courtland, Kan. He attended Kansas Wesleyan University, Salina; the University of Kansas, Lawrence; and the University of Northern Colorado, Greeley. He earned a Bachelor of Arts in political science, a Bachelor of Science in education and a Master of Science in guidance and counseling. Roy served in the Army from 1951 to 1953 as a counterintelligence officer stationed in Germany, where he became fluent in the language.

He taught at schools in Larned and Salina, Kan., before moving in 1961 to Cedar Rapids, where he was a counselor at Roosevelt and Wilson middle schools. Later, Roy was a counselor and work-experience coordinator at Metro High School, where he established an annual bicycle ride for students and a bike repair shop. Roy retired from Metro in 1993.

He also was active in the family school movement during the 1960s. Roy studied under psychologist Carl Rogers at the Western Behavioral Sciences Institute in La Jolla, Calif., and followed his "unconditional positive regard" approach, showing complete support and acceptance of people both in his professional and personal life.

Roy married Barbara Simpson in Evansville, Ind., in 1959. The marriage ended in divorce in 1985. He married Janice Albright in Cedar Rapids in 1989.

Always forward-thinking, he recognized early the value and importance of eating a plant-based diet, composting, attending men's support groups and exercising. Biking was his passion for several decades. He helped establish bicycle trails in Cedar Rapids and was an active, longtime member of the Cedar Rapids Hawkeye Bicycle Club. He rode on RAGBRAI several times and biked thousands of miles in Europe, Hawaii, Mexico, Canada and the U.S. His love of adventure served as a basis for travels with his wife, Jan, driving the Dempster Highway to the Arctic Circle in the Yukon, camping on the beach in Mexico for several winters and traveling throughout Canada, Europe and the U.S.

Other loves included the Peoples Unitarian Universalist Church, with its emphasis on the acceptance of others, excluding none, and on social justice activities. He was a member of Peoples since 1974 and actively participated in the Partner Church program for 12 years, sponsoring a trip to Romania and Hungary in 2007. He supported the American Indian Movement during the 1976 federal trials of two Native Americans for the deaths at Wounded Knee, S.D.

Roy was preceded in death by his parents and his first wife, Barbara.

He is survived by his brother, Jessie Ralph (Pat) of Richfield, Minn.; sister, Kathryn Watkins Swain (Bob St. John) of Manteca, Calif.; wife, Jan; son, Brent (Jackie) of Iowa City; daughter, Elaine Watkins-Miller (Jim Miller) of West Des Moines; stepdaughters, Corinne Joens (Randy Collins) of Cedar Rapids and Tracy Albright of Henderson, Nev.; stepsons, Kelly Albright of Las Vegas, Nev., and Jody Albright (Hayde) of North Las Vegas, Nev.; grandchildren, Natasha Ajeti (Imer) of Cedar Rapids, Chris Vasser of Cedar Rapids, Sam Watkins, Ben Watkins and Andrew Watkins, all of Iowa City, and Noah Miller of West Des Moines; three great-grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and Jan's family of eight grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren.

A memorial service will be Saturday, May 30, at 2 p.m. at Peoples Unitarian Universalist Church, 4980 Gordon Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids.

Memorials in Roy's name may be directed to Peoples Unitarian Universalist Church (4980 Gordon Ave. NW, Cedar Rapids, IA 52405), the Linn County Trails Association (PO Box 2681, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406) or the Hawkeye Bicycle Association (PO Box 223, Cedar Rapids, IA 52406).

Online condolences may be submitted to www.iowacremation.com under "Obituaries."