Margaret D. Watson, 92

Margaret Dowdney Watson, a prolific painter who lived and worked in East Hampton and Manhattan, died on Oct. 14 at Flesher’s Fairview Health and Retirement Center in Fairview, N.C. She was 92 years old.

Mrs. Watson, who was known as Peggy, exhibited her scenes of the South Fork and the city both here and nationally. In the 1950s, she produced cover drawings for magazines; in the ’60s, she appeared on television to show her work, and in 1996, a Star art critic deemed her paintings “wonderful.”

“Conversation was always filled with wit, intellectual brilliance, and memories of the past,” her family wrote. “She was a fantastic storyteller and a great listener. She freely offered wisdom with no wasted words, simple and funny. Those of us who were fortunate to know and have Peggy as a friend will dearly miss her.”

Mrs. Watson was born in New Jersey on July 10, 1924, to Louis Purcell Dowdney and the former Genevieve Emmerson. She grew up in Manhattan, attending the Hewitt School, and in East Hampton. The story went that when she was in the first grade, her teacher considered her drawings far more advanced than her classmates’, and told her mother the child would be an artist someday. Her parents promptly enrolled her in art lessons.

Here in East Hampton she was an active member of the Animal Rescue Fund of the Hamptons who often adopted rescue pets and advocated for animal rights.

A first marriage ended in divorce. She later married Leonard Watson, who died some years ago. Her longtime companion, Victor Teich, also died before her, as did her son, Tony Devine, her daughter, Wing Watson, two brothers, and a sister. She is survived by a niece, Clay Dilworth, two grandnieces, Samantha Johnson and Kate Dilworth, and three great-grandnephews, all of Asheville, N.C.

Mrs. Watson was cremated following private services in North Carolina. In her memory, her family has suggested adopting a dog from ARF or making a donation to the organization, at 91 Daniel’s Hole Road, Wainscott 11975.