Taking the time to love

For many residents, “Watkins Cleaners” is more than just the name of a familiar dry cleaner. It’s a name revealing a lasting legacy.

Tommy and Betty Watkins started the business in 1956 and have left a notable impact on the Vestavia Hills community they tirelessly served.

On Jan. 8, Betty Watkins passed away at age 84. She was born in Birmingham where she spent her entire life. She married high school sweetheart Tommy, who passed away in 2000 at age 70. The couple was married for 53 years and had five children, Mark, Steve, Johnny, Danny and Jane. They also had 13 grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

Tommy built the family’s home in 1958 on Frontier Drive in Vestavia Hills. Their daughter Jane and her husband, Jim Sharp, still live in the home today. In 1956, the couple opened the first Watkins Cleaners in Homewood and then added more locations in Vestavia Hills. 

Jane recalls all the hard work and love that her parents poured into the family business.

“It was back in a time when small businesses were truly respected,” said Betty’s daughter Jane. “It was truly a family effort to run the business.”

Jane also remembers sit-down family dinners and her parents taking the children and grandchildren on trips across the United States in the family’s large RV. They would travel to places such as a Christian camp in Arkansas and her mother would do the cooking inside the RV. 

Jane believes her father instilled in her a love of the outdoors.

“I always appreciated my mother letting me play with Dad,” said Jane. “We would go mountain biking and do other things outside.”

Betty and Tommy were both charter members of Liberty Church in Hoover as well Saint Marks United Methodist Church in Vestavia Hills. Betty loved to play the piano, sing, dance and play poetry. She was also a member of the Birmingham Civic Chorus and Sweet Adelines, a worldwide organization of women singers.

At her mother’s memorial service, Jane recalls many women approaching her with memories.

“She played such a vital role in women’s lives. She had a passion for ministry.” Jane said. “She took time loving and praying for people.”

Jane credits her parents for her hard work ethic as well as serving as role models for a happy marriage.

“She let me know what a good marriage looks like,” Jane said. “I truly know what it is like to love someone more everyday.”

 Jim, a longtime member of the Vestavia Hills City Council, remembers his mother-in-law fondly. He now runs Sharp Cleaners, which he bought from Tommy and Betty.

“She always accepted me as her own son and made me feel comfortable,” Jim said.

At Betty’s service, the family passed out a book of poetry containing poems that Betty had written mostly in the middle of the night when inspiration struck her. 

“Her service was truly a celebration of her life,” Jane said, recalling the crowded room. “What blessed me is just how many people remembered her.”