David E. Watters (1944 – 18 May 2009) was an American educator who specialized in Tibeto-Burman languages and folklore.
[4] Watters was the Director of the Oregon Summer Institute of Linguistics for four years, and was a member of SIL International.
[5] Watters was considered an expert within his field, especially the Kham language, and was widely published and cited.
He had recently overcome bladder cancer when a blood clot formed in his leg after an operation, and it traveled to his heart.
[1] He was survived by his wife, Nancy, and two sons, Stephen and Daniel who are also researching Tibeto-Burman languages.