Betty Jean Holton

Betty Jean Holton, 92, passed away on Friday, July 11, 2025. Born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, she graduated from Aliquippa High School and earned her RN at Sewickley Valley Hospital School of Nursing and her BSN at Duquesne University. She married Earl “Scotty” Holton in 1955 and moved to the Dayton Area in 1969, where she spent the majority of her career as a School Nurse, and a year as a School Psychologist. She attended Graduate School at both Miami and Wright State Universities, earning a Master’s Degree at each. She ultimately served as Director of Health Services for Dayton Public Schools. In this role, Betty was a tireless advocate for the health and welfare of her students, and secured grant funding enabling the district to establish a mobile clinic and place a dedicated nurse at every school in the district. Betty was a leader in the nursing profession, serving as President and Executive Director of the Ohio Association of School Nurses and on the board of directors of The American School Health Association. She was also a lover and dedicated supporter of the arts in the region, including the Dayton Art Institute, where she served as a docent, the Dayton Opera, and the Opera Guild of Dayton, for which she served as president. Betty was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Slovak Meute; her husband Earl B. “Scotty” Holton, and her sisters Valerie Caler and Jacqueline DePaolis. She is survived by daughter Diane Holton Sessler (Scott), granddaughter Sarah Sessler (Jonathan Hartman), grandson Eric Sessler (Rachel), great grandson Theodore Sessler, sisters Margaret Meute (Ron Nagata) and Donna Dulick (Andrew), Sister-in-law Betty Ann Dzubak, Nieces Jacqueline Gillis (Peter), Andrea Dulick McDaniel (Jonathan), Sandra Schario (David), Deborah Buckner (Jeffrey), Lynn Kujacznski (Mark) and Wendy Stolcis (Trey), Nephews Norman Caler and Michael Caler (Rebekah), several great nieces and nephews, and many dear friends. Betty was beloved by many, and a joy to all who knew her. Her memory will live on with the many people whose lives and hearts she touched. A Funeral Mass will be held at the Church Of The Incarnation, 55 Williamsburg Lane, Centerville, Ohio at noon on Friday, July 18. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in memory of Betty Holton to the Alzheimer’s Association.