Betty Havener

Betty Havener, age 84, transitioned from life to eternal life in Heaven on July 17, 2019 at her home in Kettering, Ohio.  She was born on October 2, 1934 in Washington, D.C. to Sidney Columbus and Hattie Lee (Draper) Deloatch.  She was raised in raised in Roanoke Rapids, NC by her parents, Wilbur Jackson and Hattie Lee Best, graduating from Roanoke Rapids High School in 1952.  She lived in Raleigh, NC while attending Meredith College, graduating in 1956 with a degree in Social Work.  She met George Sumner Havener when she was a co-ed.  He graduated from The Ohio State University in 1952 and was an avid Buckeye fan.  After OSU won the national championship in 1954, he had high hopes that his Buckeyes would easily handle the Duke Blue Devils when they traveled to the Horseshoe in 1955, particularly since Betty’s brother, Sid Deloatch, was a starting tackle on that Duke team.  Duke won.  That evening under a tree on the Meredith campus, George proposed by saying: “If we can’t beat you, we may as well join you”. That led to a 50-year marriage and to Betty becoming a lifelong Buckeye fan as well.  Once married, the couple remained in Raleigh where their two children, Charles Richard and Catherine Lynne, were born.  Her family later moved for his career and they lived in Columbus, OH, then Pittsburgh, PA, followed by Dayton, OH and finally back to Columbus where they retired.  She moved to Kettering, OH last year.  Remarkably, she made lifelong friends in every place she lived.  During those years, she was deeply involved with her family as well as participating in community service, Scouting, church, and a wide range of social activities.  She was also an avid and lifelong learner, loving reading and complicated crossword puzzles.  Betty was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her brothers: Sidney Columbus Deloatch, Jr. and Wilbur Jackson Best, Jr.  She is survived by her children Chuck (Diane) and Cathy (Tom) Williams, her grandchildren: Emma, Jackson, Daniel, Graham, Kaysie and Johnathan Havener and Amanda Williams (Steve) Riegger and Tara and Caitlyn Jean Williams and her great-grandchildren: Ryan and Charlotte Riegger.  She also leaves behind many other loved family and friends.  If so led, the family would welcome donations to Ohio’s Hospice of Dayton, 324 Wilmington Avenue, Dayton, OH 45420.  The family will receive friends from 11:30 to 1:30 on Monday, July 22^nd at Tidd Family Funeral Home, 5625 Norwich Street, Hillard Ohio, 43026.  A memorial service will follow. Interment will be at Wesley Chapel in Hilliard.