After her 33 years of service, Probate Judge Kim Ballard said there is a void at the Dallas County Courthouse without retired license commissioner Susie Watkins.

During Monday’s Dallas County Commission meeting, Watkins was honored with a plaque, which was presented to her son Eric.

Ballard said Watkins, was unable to attend the meeting because of illness,

“We all know and love Mrs. Watkins and I’m sorry she is battling her battle and is no longer up here with us,” he said. “We wanted to show our appreciation publicly. We love her and we miss her”

Commissioner Curtis Williams said Watkins was more than just a county employee; she was someone they looked to for advice.

“She was a dear friend of the county commission,” he said. “She was a dedicated worker and saved Dallas County thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of dollars. She was always on time and always on duty. She was a person you could depend on.”

The tireless efforts of Watkins, Commissioner Larry Nickles said, always stood out.

“She had to work a lot of weekends and had to do a lot of work,” he said. “We love her, we miss her and people like that are hard to replace. She had that kind of service and dedication. We are thankful for that.”

Often, Commissioner Roy Moore said, Watkins provided members of the commission an open ear in addition to her other duties.

“We sat and talked sometimes for 45 minutes or an hour, and she would tell me about things that were going on,” he said. “Susie dealt more with the public than any of us did. She did a tremendous job. I miss those conversations we had.”

Commissioner Connel Towns said the entire board has Watkins in their thoughts as she battles her illness.

“Our prayers will continue to be with her,” he said. “We’d love for her to come back and visit. We know it gets hard sometimes, and we are praying for her.”