Grace Anderson Watt

December 22, 1937 - September 1, 2025

Grace Anderson Watt passed away peacefully at Hospice House of Spokane on September 1, 2025. Born in Buffalo, New York on December 22, 1937, she was the daughter of Virginia M. Potter and Severn A. Anderson.

During her youth, Grace spent summers at a horse camp in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, which fostered her lifelong love for horses and the American West. She eventually fulfilled this passion by owning her own horse in Spokane.

Grace attended Buffalo Seminary for high school and graduated from Skidmore College in 1959 with a BS-RN degree. She aspired to become a physician, but her doctor uncles said she should be a nurse. She pursued nursing, beginning her career as a visiting nurse in Manhattan (Lower East Side, Hell’s Kitchen, and Harlem) and later serving as head nurse on the surgical floor in Cooperstown, NY.

She met Carl Brunjes, M.D., at Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a head nurse. They married in 1960 and had four daughters: Laura Read, Susan Brunjes (who passed away within a year due to an illness related to Down syndrome), Molly DeWalt, and Jenny Brunjes. In 1967, Grace relocated her family to Spokane when Carl joined Fairchild Air Force Base, ultimately making Spokane her permanent home.

After their divorce in 1985, Grace married Robert Denny Watt, Jr. in 1988, welcoming stepchildren Bob Watt and Christie Biesold and Wendy Watt into her family and also enjoying as Grace said, “Peace of mind.”

Transitioning from healthcare, Grace became a financial advisor with IDS/American Express in 1987 and subsequently to a stockbroker with Morgan Stanley/Dean Witter in 1988, to nurture clients’ financial wellbeing.

Grace made significant contributions to the community, including roles in the:

·         Spokane County Medical Auxiliary as VP

·         Spokane Health, where she helped establish the Health Information and Referral Center.

She was dedicated to the arts:

·         Spokane Symphony Women’s Association as President of the Board

·         Spokane Symphony Society as VP of the Board and Chair of the Season Ticket Campaign during the symphony’s inaugural year at the larger Opera House - selling out the house.

·         Spokane Arts Commission as Chair:  She developed and won full funding for the Arts Department.  She wrote, lobbied and argued in front of the city council for the passage of her ordinance that requires 1% of ALL city construction funds to be devoted to art installations on that project.  This policy enhances public buildings and spaces with art and is a living legacy visible today throughout Spokane.  Think of Grace the next time you see art on city property.

·         City Cultural Commissioner

·         Official City Representative to Lubeck, Germany

·         Museum of Native America Culture (MONAC) as Treasurer and Board

·         Greater Spokane Community Foundation Board

·         KPBX Board

·         Eastern Washington Historical Society Board

·         Spokane Ballet Board as of Chair of long-range planning

·         American Symphony Orchestra League Board, where she was presented with the “Gold Baton” award for service to American Symphonies.

Grace was especially honored to receive the YWCA’s Outstanding Achievement Award in 1984.

Grace was very devoted to raising her children and spent a ten-year period, 1964 to1974, as a hands-on-mom. Later she did the same with her grandchildren: Spenser and Blake DeWalt. She made a lasting impact on their lives.

She had a favorite saying she lived by and repeated to her children, a quote from Shakespeare’s Hamlet, “To thine own self be true.”

Her adventurous spirit led her to extensive traveling, enjoying summers in Desolation Sound, British Columbia on the family boat Exact, as well as sailing the Caribbean, barging the canals of France and exploring all seven continents (including Greenland and crossing both the Arctic and Antarctic Circles). She traveled to 78 countries. Summers not spent traveling were enjoyed at the family cabin on Hayden Lake, Idaho. Sunset cocktail cruises were her favorite. In the winter, she enjoyed mango margaritas in Cabo.

Grace’s passions were her family, dogs (Ringo and Starr), traveling, cooking, tennis, and photography.

Grace is survived by her husband, Robert Denny Watt Jr.; three children, Laura Read (Doug), Molly DeWalt (Marty), and Jenny Brunjes; two grandchildren, Spenser DeWalt (Christina) and Blake DeWalt; five great-grandchildren; three stepchildren, Robert Denny Watt III (Christina), Christie Biesold (Todd), and Wendy Watt; and six step-grandchildren.

The family extends heartfelt gratitude to Heather Carr and Hospice of Spokane for their compassionate care.

In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be sent to Saint George’s School (2929 W Waikiki Rd, Spokane, WA 99208) or Spokane Symphony (1001 W Sprague Ave, Spokane, WA 99201).

A Celebration of Life for Grace will be held at Manito Golf & Country Club in Spokane on November 2, 2025, at 2:00 PM.