In Memory of CPL Gerrick James Watkins December 13, 1989 - March 2, 2013 Obituary CPL Gerrick James Watkins, Age 23, and his Wife Shardeh D. Watkins along with their 2 Labradors, Scout & Laila, passed away on March 2nd in Oceanside CA, in a tragic car accident. CPL Watkins was born in Riverside, CA on December 13th 1989 and he lived most of his life with his father & 2 sisters in Carrollton, TX. CPL Watkins graduated from Creekview High School in 2008 and joined the Marine Corps immediately after graduating at age 18. He was a decorated and admired Marine that many looked up to and considered a mentor. Gerrick and Shardeh were married May 8, 2011 and adored their 2 lab's, Scout & Laila. CPL Watkins was a man of presence and when he is not around everyone takes notice. He served his first tour in Afghanistan showing tremendous courage and leadership. During his second tour he traveled around the world training soldiers in Kuwait, & making many other stops in places such as Thailand & Hawaii. CPL Watkins was a dedicated Marine, Son, Brother, Husband, Uncle & Friend. Before he was anything he was a person dedicated to his family. He is survived by his father, James Watkins, mother, Raven Watkins, grandmother, Della Watkins, 2 sisters, Amanda Watkins & Ashley Watkins, niece, Trinity, along with many other loving family and friends A visitation will be Thursday, March 14th, at Rhoton Funeral Home 1511 S. I-35 E. Carrollton TX 75006 from 6:00PM-8:00PM. Funeral Services will be held Friday, March 15th, at Covenant Church 2644 E. Trinity Mills Pkwy Carrollton TX at 11:30AM followed by graveside services, with military honors, at the Dallas-Fort Worth National Cemetery. The procession should arrive at the cemetery at 2:15 PM (Lane C) for the graveside service at 2:30 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to WWW.WoundedWarriorProject.ORG in CPL Gerrick James Watkins's name. He will always be deeply loved and missed and Hero to all of his family & friends. He may be gone but he will never be forgotten.

Marine's Body Escorted to Carrollton
By Elvira Sakmari

The Patriot Guard escorted the body of a Marine killed in a car accident in California earlier this month to a funeral home in Carrollton Tuesday afternoon.
Decorated Marine Cpl Gerrick James Watkins, 23, and his wife Shardeh, along with their two Labradors died in a car accident March 2 in Oceanside, Cali.
Watkins was born in Riverside, Cali., but lived most of his life with his father and two sisters in Carrollton. In 2008, Watkins graduated from Creekview High School and joined the Marine Corps.
The Patriot Guard provided an escort to Watkins' body as arrives at Dallas Love Field Tuesday afternoon. The procession made its way to Rhoton Funeral Home off Interstate 35E in Carrollton.
Visitation for Watkins will be held at Rhoton Funeral Home on Thursday. Watkins' funeral will be held at Covenant Church in Carrollton on Friday, then he will be laid to rest at DFW National Cemetery.

North Texas native, Marine killed in California crash

DALLAS - The body of a Marine who grew up in Carrollton will return to North Texas this week. Gerrick Watkins died in a crash in California.

The fatal accident happened on March 2 on Interstate 5 near San Diego. Officials said Watkins, his wife and their two dogs were all killed when their pickup truck veered off the road, slammed into a pole and caught fire.

Family members said the 23-year-old joined the Marine Corp shortly after graduating from Creekview High School in Carrollton. He was based at Camp Pendleton and had recently returned from deployment.

The young couple adored their two Labradors, Laila and Scout. They were planning to move to Japan this summer with the Marine Corp. and were thinking about starting a family.

Watkins' remains will return to Dallas on Tuesday with a full military welcome at Dallas Love Field.
 

San Diego County, California — March 2, 2013

Officials say two motorists and two dogs died after their vehicle struck a utility pole and then caught on fire in San Onofre Saturday night.

According to California Highway Patrol, the unidentified motorist of a Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck was traveling on Interstate 5 around 10:45 p.m. when he lost control, left the roadway, and struck a utility pole. The impact caused the vehicle to catch on fire.

The motorist and his passenger died at the scene. Two dogs in the vehicle at the time of the crash also died.

The identities of those involved have not been released.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reports an estimated 258,500 highway vehicle fires occurred annually in the United States from 2004 to 2006.

UPDATE: The motorists have been updated as 23-year-old Gerrick Watkins, an active-duty Marine, and his 23-year-old wife Shardeh Watkins