Obituary of Leiah Carol Watts

Funeral services for Leiah Carol Gatlin Watts, 38, will be Saturday, July 23, 2016 at 11a.m at Munford Church of Christ with Brother Shane Clark, Michael Snyder, and Ken Ballard officiating. Burial will follow at Hillcrest Cemetery. Her family will receive friends Friday from 5-8 at Usrey Funeral Home in Talladega. Mrs. Watts passed away Saturday, July 16, 2016. She was a native of Calhoun County and moved to Munford in 2004. She was a 1995 graduate of Saks High School and graduated from Jacksonville State University in 2010 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Secondary Education. She began her teaching career in 2010 at Talladega County Central High School where she taught until 2013 when she transferred to Munford Middle School to be closer to her children. Mrs. Watts quickly became a student favorite. She was loved and respected by her fellow teachers and coworkers. She was an avid Alabama fan and spent many Saturdays watching football with her friends and family. She was passionate about organ donation and worked with the students of Munford Middle School to promote organ donation awareness and was instrumental in the passage of the Angelynn and Courntey's Law. She was a loving wife, mother, sister, teacher and friend. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Bill and Helen Gatlin. She is survived by her mother, Patricia Gatlin; husband James Rodney Watts; sons, Tyler, Caleb, Caiden and Jackson Watts; sisters-in-law, Renee Stone (Brad), Tammy McBurnett (Barry); brother-in-law, Howard Curtis Watts (Pat); nieces, Hannah McBurnett, Emily McBurnett, Victoria Stone; nephews, Ethan McBurnett, Harrison Stone. Pallbearers will be Jason Irvin, Jason Waugh, Matt Humphries, Davy Ponder, Jon Smith, Robby White, Kyle Studdard, and Michael Strickland. Honorary pallbearers will be Xplosion Baseball family and the Faculty and Staff of Munford Schools.