Rachel Jessie Watkins, daughter of Ernest and Retta Hester, was born Dec. 27, 1939, in Virginia. Rachel died May 13, 2017, in Perry at the home of her daughter and son-in-law, Deb and Al Seeman, with whom she had shared a home for many years.
Those years were mutually very special. Rachel enjoyed being a caregiver for Deb’s family, and they enjoyed her companionship, unconditional love and unbridled spirit. Rachel had grown up under difficult circumstances but always persevered with honesty and hard work.
She worked in management for convenience stores, monitoring and correcting procedures for more than 20 years.
Rachel was married to Melvin Murphy, and they lived in Gainesville, Fla. After his death, she moved to Iowa to live near her family.
Rachel loved to be busy: cleaning, gardening and cooking her delicious comfort foods. But most of all, she loved her grandchildren, and they loved her, treasuring the time they could be together.
To sum it up, she understood how the world works and shared that invaluable knowledge with her family.
Rachel was preceded in death by her parents; and husband, Melvin.
Her family will miss her dearly and cherish their many memories, her daughter, Deb Seeman, and husband, Al, of Perry; three granddaughters, Sarah Swift of Boone; Merissa Wise of Des Moines and Emily Seeman of Des Moines; two much loved great-grandchildren, Rachel Swift and Rowan Wise-Chevalier; and Evelyn Seevers of Belpre, Ohio, whom she loved as a daughter; and friends.
A Celebration of Life service was held from 4-7 p.m. Friday May 19 at Hastings Funeral Home in Perry. In deep gratitude, the family respectfully requests memorials in Rachel’s name to Unity Point Hospice Foundation, 1415 Woodland Avenue, Ste. E 200, Des Moines, Iowa 50309, in lieu of flowers.
