Betty Jo Dalton

WASHINGTON – Betty Jo Lemons Dalton, passed away at 1:35 pm on Tuesday, July 24, 2007 in the presence of her family, her pastor, and a few close friends. She was in the Intensive Care unit at OSF St. Francis Medical Center in Peoria. She passed quietly and with dignity from the pain and trials of her life to the joy of the presence of god, “to be absent from the body is to be in the presence of the Lord”. Betty was a daughter, wife, mother, mother-in-law, grandmother, great-grandmother, friend to many, and most dear to her heart – she was a teacher. She was born on October 13, 1927 in Harper Town, Illinois to James and Josie Potts Lemons. She was raised on a dairy farm in Johnson County, IL, finished high school and started college when she was 14. She graduated from SIU – Carbondale in 1945 at age 17. At a time when most young people are starting college, Betty had finished and was teaching. Her first teaching job was at SIU, teaching freshman English and she still remembered that most of her class that year, in 1945, were older than her. She married Thomas L. Dalton on August 4, 1947 in Arkansas. He died on June 4, 1985. Shortly, she was teaching at her “dream job”, a one-room country school in Southern Illinois. She loved that little school and thrived on the challenges. She moved from those unique beginnings to now having spent more than 50 years of her life teaching primarily in the District 50 School system in Sunnyland and Beverly Manor. Her shining achievement was to teach a child to read. She is survived by her son, Thomas (Trish) Dalton of Sunnyland, her granddaughter, Heather (Chris) Hibbard of Metamora, IL, her grandson, Thomas Michael “Mike” (Tiffany) Dalton of Beverly Manor, IL, her great-grandchildren, Taylor and Tara Hibbard and Katie Jo and Claudia Dalton and her dearly loved nieces Doris and Sue who were always in her heart and prayers. She is also survived by her best buddy (feline) Dutch “Smudge” Dalton, her 20 lb. furball of love, numerous friends who have been family through the years and former students too numerous to mention but loved none the less. Betty was a member in good standing of Faith Lutheran Church in Beverly Manor for more than 40 years and has been a key member of their confirmation and building committees. She dearly loved her church, her church family, and Pastor John. The funeral will be at 10:00 am Saturday, July 28, 2007 at Faith Lutheran Church in Beverly Manor with a luncheon by her church family to follow. The Pastor John Rothfusz will officiate. Visitation will be from 4-7 pm Friday, July 27, 2007 at Deiters Funeral Home in Washington, with additional visitation from 9-10 am Saturday at the church. Interment will be in Glendale Cemetery in Washington. Memorials may be made to her church building fund or to the Library Fund at District 50 Schools as Betty would have wished.

Betty Jo Dalton

October 13, 1927 - June 24, 2007