Before he joined the FDNY‚ Watson built skyscrapers‚ spending eight years as a New York City ironworker. Eventually‚ however‚ the call of the firehouse proved irresistible‚ and he became a firefighter like his father. When not working‚ Watson enjoyed softball and the outdoors. He went hunting and horseback riding and took his family on camping trips‚ often with other firefighters and their families. Watson lived in Smithtown‚ N.Y.‚ where he attended high school and met his wife.