Elizabeth "Betty" C. Barton

Elizabeth (Betty) Barton, 90 years old, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend, unexpectedly passed away on February 3rd with her daughter Amy by her side.  She was a creative, adventurous spirit, who loved to laugh. She enjoyed telling and listening to jokes and outrageous stories.

She leaves behind her children Kathy Barton, Dianne (Rocco) Proia, Amy (Sean) Parker, and John (Michelle Formosa) Barton, grandchildren:  Matthew Cotone, Sean Cotone, Courtenay Barton, and Quinn Barton, sister Barbara (Adolf) Bahlkow, and brother Frank Donlan as well as beloved nieces, a nephew and several great nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband John, parents Francis and Catherine Donlan and a sister Mary (Tommy) Henderson.

Betty enjoyed photography, swimming, and sailing.  One of her greatest adventures was sailing the intercoastal waterway from Boston to Florida with her friends Besty and Frank Lord.

Recently, she spent her time with Bernie Rothwell, a longtime acquaintance from her days as an emergency room nurse at Glover Hospital. Together they spent winters in Florida and Sunday afternoons going for drives to the beach.

She graduated from Boston City Nursing School and held a Nurse Practitioner Degree from Harvard University School of Medicine. She enjoyed her years before retirement working in the Employee Health Department at Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

Visiting Hours will be held in the Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave, in Needham on Thursday, February 8th from 4:00-7:00 pm, concluding with prayers. All are welcome to attend. A larger celebration of life will be planned for September. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to Courageous Sailing (https://courageoussailing.org/) and Rosie’s Place (rosiesplace.org)

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Elizabeth "Betty" C. Barton, please visit our floral store.