My friend Rose Watson had a tremendous laugh. Hearty, sometimes howling, always contagious. If I were having a particularly frustrating day, I would call Rose and demand that she start laughing that very moment. She would. And then so would I. Silliness would win the day.
Rose also was an accomplished attorney. After her undergraduate studies at the University of Missouri-Columbia, Rose earned her JD from Vermont Law School. She had her own estate planning practice for eight years, and then started a corporate career utilizing her estate planning skills, providing support to financial advisors as an advanced markets attorney with Sun Life; the director of advanced planning with Commonwealth Financial Network; and most recently as vice president/wealth planning strategist with Raymond James.
Rose was dedicated to providing the best support on estate planning and business succession planning to advisors who, in turn, helped their clients implement those strategies and achieve their goals. Directly and indirectly, Rose had a positive impact on tens of thousands of families. Moreover, Rose’s concern and support for her staff will always be remembered by the people she hired and cultivated.
Rose passed away in April 2021 at the age of 51. When I first knew Rose she lived in New Hampshire but longed for a warmer climate. In 2017, she got to live that dream as a resident of Clearwater, Florida, along with her husband Justin and sons Steve and Jake.
That was Rose. Sunshine, laughter and smarts.