ATHENS, Ohio –– Laura Elizabeth “Betsy” Luther of Athens passed away peacefully after prolonged illness on Friday, December 27, 2024 at Riverside Methodist Hospital in Columbus, in the presence of family after receiving excellent care. She was 58.
Betsy was born November 3, 1966, at Sheltering Arms Hospital in Athens, the youngest child of Laura Anne Luther, a reading teacher, and the late Lawrence LaJohn, an Ohio University Spanish professor.
Friends and family knew Betsy as a sweet, kind-hearted person who expressed empathy for others, despite her own mental health challenges. She graduated from Athens High School in 1985, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in General Studies from Ohio University, with an emphasis on history and psychology. She also took nurse aide classes at Hocking College.
She was a member of First Presbyterian Church of Athens as a child, and later attended services at the Unitarian Fellowship on Longview Heights and Athens Community Church where she taught Sunday School.
Betsy loved animals, both real and stuffed, including beloved cats Katya, Pandora and Boo. She enjoyed thrift shopping at New to You and Goodwill, and in recent years, had taken up autoharp lessons and making necklaces out of beads and special pieces for loved ones, especially her mom. As illness progressed, Betsy lived at care homes in Columbus including Highbanks Care Center, and received excellent care. She loved music, and traveling to places like The Columbus Zoo with her brother Larry.
Betsy was preceded in death by her brother, Les, and father, Lawrence LaJohn, both of Athens.
She is survived by: mom Laura Anne Luther of Athens; brother Larry Di Giovanni of Athens; and sister Heidi LaJohn Marty of Shade; nephews Tony Di Giovanni of Lancaster, Ohio and Ramsey Isaacs of Shade, and niece Madeline Isaacs of Shade; great nieces Gwynadele, Elli Mae, and Kenna Renee Sayre of Shade, and, Greylynn Isaacs of Shade; and great nephews Jaxson and Noa Isaacs of Shade.
Betsy also had two special best friends, Danielle Cavender Heskett and Gerard Dunn. The family wishes to thank Betsy’s guardian, Alli Purcell, for her excellent service.
A private Celebrate Life memorial service for close friends and family will be held in the spring through Jagers & Sons of Athens. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Betsy’s name be made to NAMI Athens and Friends of the Shelter Dogs in Athens. Please share a memory, a note of condolence or sign the online register at www.jagersfuneralhome.com.
