Betty Louise Champagne

Betty Louise (Davisson) Champagne, a loving and loved wife, mother, grandmother and loyal friend, formerly of Kettering, Ohio, passed away at the age of 90 on the morning of August 16, 2019 at the Hearth at Juday Creek, an assisted living facility in Granger, IN.  Betty and her husband, Ed, moved to Granger in 2016 to be closer to their daughter, Cathy.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Edwin Bernard Champagne (November 2017); her sister, Joanne Gill; brother and sister-in-law, Don and Lee Davisson.  She is survived by her three children, Cathy (Ty) Scopel of Granger, IN; David (Linda) Champagne of New Bremen, OH; and Jeffry (Jodi) Champagne of Colorado Springs, CO.  Also surviving are her six grandchildren, Holly Champagne, Emma (Aaron) Clune, Sara Champagne, Carly Scopel, Jackson Champagne, and Mia Champagne; her brothers-in-law and sister-in-law, Jack Gill of Connecticut, Richard and Karen Champagne, and Roy Champagne of Michigan; as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.  Her parents, Charles and Louise Davisson, preceded her in death.  We will miss her smile, warmth, wisdom and humor.

Betty grew up near Ironton, Ohio, on a 2-acre farm during the Great Depression and attended Hanging Rock High School. After graduation, she studied to be a beautician, but that career only lasted about a year. (However, she cut her kids’ and husband’s hair, and nicked ears and necks, for many years after her official retirement.)

Betty’s mother had a dream for all of her children to receive a college diploma and encouraged Betty to apply to Ohio State in the fall of 1947. From this humble upbringing, in September of 1950, she graduated from Ohio State University with a teaching degree and started teaching in Greenville, Ohio, before her 21st birthday. She taught for ten years in Greenville, and later, at Cleveland School in Dayton, Oh.

While teaching and single, Betty saved her money and was able to spend the four summers between 1956 and 1959 travelling with friends all over the country. She covered South Dakota, Wyoming, Colorado, California (top to bottom), Arizona, New Mexico and Massachusetts. Some of those more than once!

She met her husband in 1959 while they were each living in Patterson Village in Dayton, Oh, which began the love affair that she called the “Story of the School Teacher and the Second Lieutenant.”  They were married on September 3, 1960. Their love, devotion and marriage spanned 57 years, 3 children, and 6 grandchildren. 

After Ed retired, they traveled extensively but always wanted to be where their kids and grandchildren were. They hosted MANY holiday events at their house in Kettering and sponsored numerous vacations for all the family. She always stayed connected to her many good friends and southern Ohio relatives.

Betty’s family extends their sincere gratitude to the nurses and staff of Hearth at Juday Creek and Heart-to-Heart Hospice for their devoted, loving care of Betty and Ed. 

In accordance with Betty’s final wishes, she will be cremated. Betty will be interred with Ed in a private service at Dayton National Cemetery, Dayton, OH. A gathering of family and friends will be held at 12:30pm on Sunday, September 1, 2019 in Dayton, Ohio. Please contact a family member for additional information. Palmer Funeral Home—Hickey Chapel is assisting the family.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Betty may be donated to a hospice organization of the donor’s choice.

Online condolences may be left for the Champagne family at www.palmerfuneralhomes.com.

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