James Timothy Watt

Jim Watt passed away at the age of 83 at 11:00 PM, Sunday, August 13th, 2023 after spending several months at Mercy Hospice House. Jim, a native of Grants Pass, Oregon, had a generous heart, an indomitable will, a complex and brilliant mind -- and an irrepressible laugh. After a tour of duty in the US Marines, stationed in Japan, he earned a Ph.D. from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He went on to teach at Butler University in Indianapolis from 1972 to 2007, where he was honored to hold the Allegra Stewart Chair in Literature. He was a devoted husband, a loving father, a passionate scholar & teacher, prolific poet, and the author of "Work Toward Knowing: Beginning with Blake". He was also a lover of opera, jazz & outlaw county music - and a Formula One enthusiast. He is survived by his wife Lee Verner and his son Andrew Watt; Lee's children, Scott Sidner and Kathryn Sydney Sidner & her husband David Handelman; Lee's sister, Kate Foley; as well as his siblings, Judith Watt Folgate, Nancy Watt Hobson, Robert Watt, Nicholas Watt, and Katherine Watt McAuley. We are all better people for having loved and known him.

His burial will take place at 3:00 PM Saturday August 19th, 2023 in Hermosa Cemetery.