Elder Roosevelt Watkins was born on December 20, 1949, in St. Petersburg, Florida.  He retired to his eternal home on November 28, 2023. He was the son of the Late Samuel N. Watkins and the Late Mother Eloise Harris. He was happily married to Lady Kathy Clemons Watkins and the proud father of four children and eight grandchildren.

Elder Watkins was a student of Gibbs High School, class of ’67, in St. Petersburg, Florida.  A product of the Sunshine Band and Sunday School of Queen Street Church of God in Christ is where Christian values were placed in him from childhood. Elder Watkins accepted Christ as his personal savior in 1980 and had a powerful testimony of how God can save from the “guttermost to the utmost”.  He acknowledged his call to ministry in the year of 1982 and was ordained an Elder in February 1987 by the late Bishop W.E. Davis.  He also proudly served as the State Sunday School Superintendent and as the State Auxiliary in Ministry Chairman of the Jurisdiction of Southwestern Florida.

On November 28, 1997, he was announced Pastor of Shining Light Church of God in Christ by the Presiding Bishop C.D. Owens. Elder Watkins was installed to the office of Pastor on March 28, 1998, where he happily served for over 25 years. On November 23, 2013, Elder Watkins was installed to the office as Superintendent of the Greater Palmetto District, by Bishop Matthew Williams. In January of 2023, he was appointed to Chairman of the Board of Superintendent for the Southwestern Florida Jurisdiction.

As a church family, we will always reflect on the profound impact he had on each of is: his unwavering faith, wise counsel, compassionate heart, and commitment to his wife, family and community. Elder Watkins was more than a just a leader; he was a friend, a father figure, a role model, a mentor, and a guiding light who left an indelible mark that will never be forgotten. Although we will miss his contagious smile, and he is no longer with us in body, his spirit lives on in the countless lives he touched.