Obituary of Floy Elizabeth Batstone

Floy Elizabeth Batstone November 11, 1926 - December 2, 2019 Floy E. Batstone died December 2, 2019 in Shelton, WA Floy was born on November 11, 1926, at home in Shelton, WA, the daughter of Henry Irving “Mud” and Opal (Nelson) Clay. She spent her early years living in downtown Shelton, until her family moved to Spencer Lake. In 1943, she left high school and started working at the Naval Shipyards in Bremerton as a welder helper. Since she was so petite, she was often sent into deep and tight spaces to do repair work; she once even saved a man’s life by pulling him into fresh air when he became overwhelmed with fumes from the welding. It was on one of those ships that she met her first husband, John Morris Ott. He was teasing her, so she kicked him in the shin with her wooden clogs, not knowing that he had shrapnel in his leg from the Pearl Harbor bombings of December 7th. He picked her up to spank her and then was arrested and going to be charged but Floy spoke up for him. On July 22, 1944, they were married and in 1946, she gave birth to their son, John in Houston, Texas. Shortly after they moved back to Shelton in 1947, John Sr died. She met her second husband, James Edward Batstone at the First National Bank in Shelton. Jim was working for her brother-in-law, Ernie Dahman at the time, when he came into the bank to cash his paycheck. On June 30, 1951, they were married at the Methodist Church and had a lavish reception at Colonial House. They raised their daughters Elizabeth “Betsy” and Patricia “Patsy” in Shelton and were married for 45 years until Jim died in 1996. She worked as a bookkeeper for several businesses in Shelton, including Shelton High School, where she also kept the students who had detentions in line. They had to sit right next to her desk! Then she learned how to run a computer for the Mason County Auditor office; she loved it. She passed her math skills down to John and Patsy and then to several of her grandchildren. If she had completed high school and gone on to college, she would have become a scientist. She always wanted to go to the moon. She was an enthusiast, always ready to entertain or go on an adventure! She loved Christmas and hosted an annual open house for friends and family on December 23rd. No matter the day of the week, whatever the weather, the house was decorated (She must have had over 300 Santas!) and the food abundant and wonderful for all and any to enjoy. She was also an avid traveler, always looking for opportunities to see new places and make new friends. In April 1982, she and Jim traveled to China for three weeks, part of the earliest wave of Westerners to visit the country. It was a fantastic trip by all accounts; based on their stories, they may have been too busy to have slept while on that trip. She was always up for a road trip, to the Midwest experience farfegnugen in her Volkswagen and to see Betsy’s family in the Dakotas, to St. Louis to see the Arch, to Hilton Head for some time on the Atlantic, and up to Banff to enjoy the Canadian Rockies. She was a talented hobbyist, she sewed, did needlework, made intricate and detailed dolls, and was an incredible knitter. Many people were gifted with her sweaters and Santas. And, she actively gave back to her community. Besides keeping the high schoolers in line, she was active, teaching swimming classes for the Exceptional Foresters with the Happy Dolphins and working with the Donnie J. O’Neill Orthopedic Guild. Floy was a force of nature, a lover of life, and the matriarch of her family. She will be remembered for her resilience and courage, her incredible warmth and generosity, and her faith in people, that they were either friends, or friends to be made. She is missed terribly. Floy is survived by her son John M. Ott (Bev) of Tacoma, WA and daughters Betsy Batstone-Cunningham of Grand Forks, ND and Patsy (Lynn) Price of Grapeview, WA. She is also survived by her sister Shirley (Aven) Andersen of Port Ludlow, WA and her brother Gene Clay of Jasper, TX. Six grandchildren, and ten great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, Opal and Mud, her sister Virginia Dahman, husbands John Ott and Jim Batstone and son-in-law Ron L. Batstone-Cunningham. Memorials can be made to the Donnie J. O’Neill Orthopedic Guild at Mary Bridges Children’s Hospital, Alzheimer’s Association, or a charity of your choice. A memorial celebration will be held in June in Shelton.