Obituary of Otis Batton

Otis U. Batton, 79, of Cresco, died December 1, 2006 at VNA Hospice at Community Medical Center in Scranton. Born in Selma, North Carolina, he was the son of the late Otis and Aline (Deans) Batton. Otis was employed at Tobyhanna Army Depot before his retirement. He also worked as a driver for Pocono Limousine. He was a member of St. Paul's Church in Tannersville, and a member of Evans-Blitz American Legion Post #922 and Barger Lodge #325 F&AM. A WWII veteran, he served in the US Navy and the US Marine Reserves. In his youth he was known as "Red" to his follow teammates of Baseball and Fast Pitch Softball in the Pocono Mountain area. After his playing days, he coached Little League, Babe Ruth, and American Legion Baseball. Otis enjoyed deer hunting, gardening, raising Christmas trees, and watching his beloved NY Yankees. He is survived by two sons, James Batton and his wife, Alexandra of Clark Summit, Joel Batton and his wife Janice of Cresco; two daughters, Jean Geiger and her husband Sterling of Orefield, Judith Lilli and her husband, Thomas of Mt. Bethel; seven grandchildren; and one great grandchild. He was preceded in death in 2005 by his wife, Ruth, to whom he was married for 56 years. He was preceded in death by a sister, Clellie Moore. A Memorial Service will be conducted by the Reverend Keith Price to celebrate the lives of Otis and his wife, Ruth at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, December 6 at the Bolock Funeral Home, corner of routes 940 & 390 in Paradise Valley. There will be a visitation from 9:00 a.m. until the time of service. Interment will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the VNA Hospice of Monroe County, 502 Independence Road, East Stroudsburg, Pa. 18301