Carolyn Heryford Watts, born on July 29, 1943 in Alturas, California, to Lee “Sunny” Heryford and Maxine Grove of Cedarville, California, died September 6, 2024 in her home in Port Townsend, Washington.
Very nearly born on a horse, Carolyn grew up in Cedarville in a ranching family whose roots in the area date back to the late 1800s. She graduated Surprise Valley High School in 1961. She received a medical technology degree from Chico State in 1966, then worked in the lab at the Cedarville Hospital. She married John Baker in Alturas, later divorcing him and moving with her daughter, Morgan, to Seattle in 1978. There, she worked at Providence Hospital. In 1980, Carolyn married John Watts, and they lived in Seattle until 2000, when they relocated to Port Townsend.
While in Seattle, Carolyn returned to school and in 1994, graduated magna cum laude with a fine arts degree from Cornish School of the Arts. Her artistic side flourished, and she created many beautiful works of art, some of which were shown in galleries in Santa Fe, Seattle and Port Townsend. Carolyn’s most recent show was in 2023 at Northwind Art in Port Townsend.
In 2001, Carolyn’s passion for the people and country of Morocco led her to start a cooking school in Marrakech, which helped provide job training for local women. Initially, Carolyn spent several months in Marrakech each year. Later, for four months every year (except during the COVID pandemic), Carolyn and John lived in Marrakech in a riad Carolyn had purchased and refurbished in 2015. The riad is currently used by Perma Atlas, a nonprofit involved in ecological restoration in the Atlas Mountains, which Carolyn supported over the years. That support will continue.
Carolyn was truly amazing, a wonderful and vibrant person and artist. Her art reflects her vision of light and shadow, and of nature, which she loved. She touched many hearts and leaves the earth with many gifts of beauty.
For a glimpse of her art, read this Seattle Times article, published in 2012. https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/one-of-port-townsends-oldest-homes-makes-room-for-life-and-art/.
A scholarship endowment fund will be established in Carolyn’s name through the University Women’s Foundation of Jefferson County (Washington) to assist women with tuition for art, health care, environmental or STEM studies.
She is survived by husband John Watts of Port Townsend and brother Calvin Heryford of Medford, Oregon, Aunt Barb and Uncle Bill Heryford of Cedarville, and many nieces and nephews and other family members. Her daughter, Morgan Baker, predeceased her in 2023.
No service is planned. All are encouraged to remember and think of Carolyn in their own way.
