Betty Dilda

Betty Sasser Dilda, 79, died at home in Kernersville on Wednesday, September 29, 2021. Born April 9, 1942 in Nahunta, NC, to the late Hugh and Maebelle Sasser,  she is survived by her husband, James H. (Jim) Dilda; children,  Suzanne Passow of Fayetteville, NC; Henry Ivey (Juliet) of Los Gatos, CA; Patrick Stacey (Amy) of Atlanta, GA; James Dilda of Brooklyn, NY;  a sister, Susie Elmore of Rocky Mount, NC; eight grandchildren, three great grandchildren, and several cousins.

After high school in Goldsboro, Betty traveled for the National Grange Headquarters in Washington, D.C., before opening her own Merle Norman studio in Goldsboro. She later worked in the civilian personnel office at Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in Goldsboro for a number of years, where she met her Air Force husband. When they moved to Japan, she continued as a civil servant in charge of placing school teachers in the Department of Defense schools throughout the Pacific.

Their youngest son was born in Japan and upon the family’s return to the U.S., Betty ended her career with the civil service. Throughout her husband’s future assignments, she was active in Protestant Women of the Chapel at several bases. At Ramstein Air Base, Germany, she also served as parliamentarian of the largest Officers Wives Club in Europe.

In northern California, Betty served on the staff of the Solano County Arts Alliance and volunteered for the First Artists Children’s Theatre that introduced young people statewide to the performing arts. When her husband retired from the Air Force, they returned to NC and made a home in Kernersville. She graduated Salem College in 2006 with a degree in English with emphasis on creative writing.

Hayworth-Miller Kernersville Chapel is assisting the family.  Graveside services will be held at the Dilda Family Cemetery near Fountain, NC, at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trellis Supportive Care (www.trellissupport.org) or Planned Parenthood (www.plannedparenthood.org). Active links to charities can be found at the bottom of the page.

The Dilda family kindly requests that no flowers be sent to the venue or to the funeral home, but instead, contribute to the memorials above.