Farewell to "Mr. Wycliffe"
Kenneth L. Watters, a key figure in the establishment of Wycliffe Bible Translators, passed away on January 12, 2008, in Santa Ana, California, after an arduous battle with cancer. So vital was Watters’ contribution to the Bible translation effort that he was once known as “Mr. Wycliffe.” While his family, friends and colleagues mourn his death, we also celebrate his life of faithfulness. As a financier—a steward of earthly treasure—he lived ever mindful of the true inheritance laid up for us in Heaven.
DEDICATED SERVICEMAN
Kenneth L. Watters made a commitment to Christ in the summer of 1939 while serving on a U.S. Navy admiral’s staff. Watters served in the Navy for nine years and attained the rank of Chief Yeoman. His military career took him to numerous ports in the Pacific, including Pearl Harbor. While in the Navy, Watters led Bible classes for his fellow servicemen and memorized Scripture zealously—committing to memory over 100 Bible verses during his first year as a believer.
PASSION FOR THE BIBLELESS
He met and married his wife Vivian Pauline, and the couple discovered that they both felt a God-given burden to help reach Bibleless people. For a brief time after Ken’s naval service, the couple headed a Navigators home in Brooklyn, N.Y., where they discipled young men. Then in the summer of 1946, Vivian and Kenneth joined SIL* and headed to Mexico for training. In early 1947, the couple went to Peru to help direct the financial affairs of SIL. The time in Peru proved difficult for the young mission, because their base was not in an ideal location; it was hard for missionaries to access the people groups and the remote areas where they needed to work. In 1949 the Watters helped establish a mission base at Yarinacocha, Peru, a much better location.
A HEAD FOR NUMBERS
Watters attended Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa, where he studied accounting. He had given up this interest, thinking he could better serve God in other ways, but his financial training proved to be crucial. When a need arose for someone to direct the work at Wycliffe’s home office in Glendale, California, Ken Watters was chosen to return and provide leadership at headquarters. During his years of faithful service as treasurer for Wycliffe (and later as a vice president for SIL), he would speak all over the world on behalf of Bible translation. His travels took him to Alaska, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Cameroon and parts of Europe. He also served on the boards of Wycliffe, SIL and JAARS.
Together Ken and Vivian raised four children, including two sons, John and Jim, who would also serve with Wycliffe. The parents were proud of their sons’ translation abilities, which Ken said far surpassed his own. Vivian died in 2000, after a difficult bout with Alzheimer’s. Ken married his second wife, Virginia Lee, in 2001.
PRICELESS
Ken Watters emphasized the necessity of prayer and God’s empowerment for reaching the world with the truth of the Bible. In his view, advancements such as aviation, computer technology and descriptive linguistics are useful tools that were given to the world for a purpose—to help see the fulfillment of the Great Commission in the last times. He dedicated his life to God’s service, because he believed the value of reaching people with God’s Word is far greater than the cost of translating it. Watters declared, “God wants every language to have His Word, and He didn’t say anything about cost. What’s cost to Him?”
* a Wycliffe affiliate organization
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