A. Renee Watkins never knew the meaning of the word "quit." Not during her first battle with cancer, a breast malignancy diagnosed when she was just 35, and not during her second, a tumor in her chest diagnosed about eight years later.

Instead, Mrs. Watkins, of Churchill, passed her determination and strength along to other cancer patients as a dedicated volunteer of the American Cancer Society. She was particularly active in the ACS Reach to Recovery Program, which matches cancer patients to mentors who are cancer survivors. Along with serving as a mentor, she did volunteer recruiting and selected mentors for patients. Over a five-year period she matched more than 1,000 patients with 1,000 survivors.

"She was the heart and soul of the program," said Elizabeth Pagel-Hogan, an ACS employee who worked with Mrs. Watkins on the volunteer project.

Mrs. Watkins, a mother of three, died Monday. The cause has not been determined. She was 63.

As a volunteer, Mrs. Watkins also traveled to Harrisburg and Washington, D.C. to lobby for funds for cancer research, worked on the ACS' Relay for Life and participated with her extended family in the Komen Pittsburgh Race for the Cure.

Ms. Pagel-Hogan said she had received many calls from breast cancer patients and survivors whose lives had been touched by Mrs. Watkins.

"This sounds like a cliche, but she had a real can-do attitude. She was the quintessential survivor because she never gave up despite her tremendous physical challenges," Ms. Pagel-Hogan said. "Losing her hair didn't stop her. Being in the hospital didn't stop her; she'd be making phone calls from the hospital. I would really like to say she inspired other people to do more."

She was named winner of the St. Francis Health System Courage to Come Back award in 1991 and the 2004 Gold Sword for outstanding volunteerism from the ACS.

And volunteering for the war on cancer was not her only work in the medical field.

Because of her experience with the mastectomy and chemotherapy used on her breast cancer, she went back to school and became a licensed practical nurse. She worked at the old St. Francis Hospital, then at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, from which she retired last May. A few months later she began working part time for Comfort Keepers, which provides home care, said her younger sister, Susan Cwynar, of Wilkins.

In addition to her sister, Mrs. Watkins is survived by her husband, Charles G. "Chuck" Watkins Sr., two sons, Christopher Watkins, of Monroeville, and Charles G. Watkins Jr., of Philadelphia; a daughter, Kathleen Eygabroad, of Ross; sisters, Diane E. Schilo, of Grand Rapids, Mich., and Joann R. Salerno, of Charlotte, N.C.; brothers, A. Rudolph Salerno Jr., of Eastmont, and Philip P. Salerno, of Churchill; and three grandchildren.

Funeral services and entombment were yesterday.

The family requests memorial contributions be made to the American Cancer Society, 320 Bilmar Drive, Pittsburgh 15205.