Willie A. Watkins was recently named the 2011 Robert H. Miller Professional of the Year by the National Funeral Directors and Morticians Association.

He will be honored by the association during its annual dinner on Aug. 2  in Atlanta.

The program will include performances by singers Jennifer Holliday and Dorothy Norwood.

Watkins is the founder of the Willie A. Watkins Funeral Home, which opened in 1982. The company has four locations throughout metro Atlanta, with a fifth planned.

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Carleigh Knight (left) and her sister, Natalie Rogovin, look at Christmas ornaments while shopping at Kudzu Antiques + Modern in Decatur on Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (Natrice Miller/AJC)

Credit: Natrice Miller