After being a prominent part of the Greenville business community for more than 50 years, Hinote Watson, 73, passed away Wednesday.

Watson, who was born and raised in Greenville, was owner of Watson’s Home Furnishings. The store, now located on the Greenville Bypass, was first located in downtown Greenville near the courthouse but moved to its current location in the late 1970s. Watson’s son, William Watson, Jr. joined his father in the furniture business in 1993 and remembers him as a &uot;good boss&uot; who had a strong work ethic.

&uot;He was there at the store every day and took very few vacations,&uot; said Watson of his father. &uot;In the 90’s he took some vacation but he was there Monday through Saturday, but I guess he just did what he had to do.&uot;

Hinote Watson got his start in the furniture business working with his father at Hainjes Furniture in Greenville, but left there after the death of the store’s founder and started their own furniture store.

&uot;My wife said ‘I don’t know what I’m going to do without Hinote,’&uot; said Charlie Jones, who’s known Watson for almost 70 years. &uot;We could go to his store and he would get something for us. He had real good taste and believed in quality. Some of these places they’ll just sell you what they’ve got, but he wasn’t that way.&uot;

Jones, who attended Woodland Heights Methodist Church with Watson, said his friend was a very devoted and deeply religious family man.

&uot;He was really a student of the Bible and really loved the Lord,&uot; Jones said. &uot;All these years I’ve known Hinote I’ve never heard him say a curse word, tell an off-color joke or say anything negative about anybody. He was very proud of his family and they were very important to him. We were all very happy that William and Courtney had a daughter. Even though Hinote didn’t get much time with her at least he was blessed to have one grandchild.&uot;

Watson was a graduate of Greenville High School and played football for the Tigers. He also served in the military working his way up to lieutenant and pulled duty as a tank commander. He attended Auburn University and was a big Tigers fan, but Jones said he knew his friend had one regret.

&uot;One of the things that Hinote told me was that he was disappointed that he never became an Eagle Scout,&uot; Jones said. &uot;He had the number of merit badges he needed and the paperwork was sent off but he never got it.&uot;

Gene Hardin, who served on the board of Woodland Heights Methodist Church with Watson, who chaired the body, said it was his friend’s intellect that stood out to him.

&uot;He was probably one of the smartest men I ever knew and a real true gentleman,&uot; Hardin said. &uot;I never saw him get out of shape on any subject. He never got antagonistic. He was very knowledgeable about a lot of subjects and as a matter of fact he probably knew more about Auburn football than Colin MacGuire knows about Alabama football.&uot;

Watson was also instrumental in the arts in Greenville, but more than that he was a good friend to everyone he knew.

&uot;He was just a good man,&uot; Hardin said. &uot;They don’t make them any better. He was a true friend that you could count on. If he told you something you could pretty well count on it.&uot;

Funeral services for Watson will be held today at 11 a.m. in the sanctuary of Woodland Heights Methodist Church. Burial will be in Magnolia Cemetery.

Watson is survived by his wife Myralyn Watson; two daughters, Clare Watson of Montgomery and Traweek Watson of Atlanta; his son William and his wife Courtney of Montgomery; one granddaughter Hannah Watson and a mother-in-law, Effie Traweek of Greenville.

Please see complete obituary on page 2A.