Mike Watkins

Funeral services celebrating the life of Mr. Richard Michael (Mike) Watkins, 77, of Spring, TX, will be held at 10:00 A.M. Tuesday, April 18, 2023, at White’s Ferry Road Church, West Monroe, LA with Dr. Barry Stephens officiating. Interment will follow at Roselawn Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Calhoun, LA under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, West Monroe.

To know Mike Watkins was to know his strong faith in God, love for family, love for missions, and the way he intentionally and analytically approached each of these. He was a member of Kleinwood Church of Christ and formerly of White’s Ferry Road, Jackson Street, and Grace Crossing Churches of Christ. He served as an elder at Grace Crossing. 

He was an oldest son and a big brother to five siblings, a cadet in the Naval Academy, and an engineering student at Louisiana Tech University. He worked at and was very involved with Camp Ch-Yo-Ca in Calhoun, LA where he met the love of his life. He also worked for Ditch Witch Equipment Co, Creole Engineering, and Brush Mechanical. He was self-employed at Ilasa International and most recently was working for General Electric (GE) at the time of his death. 

His self-taught fluency in languages including Portuguese, Spanish, and German served his mission work well through the years. His love for missions included participating in food deliveries to Poland, medical mission trips to Mexico, and Mission Lazarus in Honduras. He was the main bus driver for many trips at White’s Ferry Road Church as well as Ouachita Christian School, where “Mr. Mike” was known to run a tight ship.

He enjoyed workout classes at the gym and loved being underestimated as the “old guy” and then outworking all the “young moms” in class with him. He seemed to know a little bit about everything, could fix anything, and had traveled and knew people all over the world. He was a loving husband, the perfect girl-dad who had a secret love for chick flicks, and an adoring Popples who loved the antics of his grandkids. 

He was preceded in death by his father, John Haden Watkins, Jr; his mother, Talitha Dunn Watkins; and brothers, Tom and Bobby Watkins.

He is survived by his wife, Tricia Spillman Watkins; daughters, Michelle Holland (Daniel), Kristina Stephens (Ben), and Stephanie Watkins; sisters, Marty Barry and Kathy Eanes; brother, John Watkins III; grandchildren, Bryson Coizman, Finleigh, Carter, and Lucas Stephens; and numerous nieces and nephews.

Pallbearers will be Buddy Barwick, E.T. Browning, M. Tammy Matthews, Sam Holt, Sam Poole, Wil Loewer, Daniel Holland, and Ben Stephens.

Honorary Pallbearers will be Bryson Coizman, Carter Stephens, and Lucas Stephens.

Visitation will be held from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Monday, April 17, 2023, at White’s Ferry Road Church in West Monroe, LA.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mission Lazarus https://www.missionlazarus.org

Online Registry/Condolences: www.mulhearnfuneralhome.com