Betty Anne Staton
Betty (Elizabeth) Anne Staton was born in Orlando, Florida, on November 8, 1925, at Orange General Hospital. She died peacefully at home in Orlando on December 27, 2020. She graduated from Orlando High School in 1943, and Florida State College for Women in 1946.
Betty Anne was the daughter of Sara (Stegar) and Sam Shiver and was married to her high school sweetheart, Ulysses Grant Staton, for 62 years. They enjoyed boating and traveling the world, while raising their three children, and loved their second home in Burnsville, NC. Betty Anne was a lifelong member of Park Lake Presbyterian Church. Betty Anne was best known as a pioneer in women’s community activism while raising a family and hosting many social events. Known as the “General” to her friends and family, she knew how to organize any event, and usually took charge in doing so. She loved to cook, to entertain, and to play bridge.
Betty Anne began her volunteer years serving on committees in the Orange County School System, plus many PTA’s, Additions, and the Bi-Racial Advisory Committee. She was active in the Junior League of Orlando, and President of both the local and State of Florida League of Women Voters. She served 19 years on the Salvation Army Advisory board, two terms as Elder at Park Lake Presbyterian Church, was a Board member of the Central Florida YMCA, and volunteered for the Florida Symphony Society where she helped organize the Opera Gala Guild. She stayed active in her college sorority Delta Delta Delta, and was proud of her Phi Kappa Phi college honor. She was a member of The Rosalind Club and the Country Club of Orlando. Her biggest honor was when she was appointed by Governor Askew to a nineyear term on the Florida Board of Regents, representing UCF, and serving as the first female Vice-chair.
She is survived by her sister, Carolyn Shiver Snelling, her daughters Suzanne Bigalke (John) and Sally Kennedy (Bill), and her son Samuel Staton (Meredith Harewood). She has seven grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
There will be a small family service at her
Lake Presbyterian Church February 6th.
In lieu of flowers, please contribute to Park Lake Presbyterian Church in memory of Betty Anne Staton. Leave a message or memory for the family at DignityMemorial.com. beloved
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