Eileen Dalton

On March 15, 2020, Eileen Bolt Dalton died near her son and his family in Atlanta, Georgia. She was one hundred years old.

Eileen was born on August 20, 1919 in Meadows of Dan, VA, in Patrick County. She was born to the late Myrtle Shelor Bolt and Sylvester Lawrence (“Lawrence”) Bolt. Eileen had two sisters: Ruth Jean Bolt and the late Lucy Alice (“Tinky”) Bolt.

When Eileen was a small child, her family moved to Kentucky and West Virginia. They returned to Patrick County at the onset of the Great Depression. As a young woman, Eileen attended college at West Virginia Business College in Bluefield, West Virginia. She majored in business and later worked for several local companies, including Stanley Furniture. Throughout her young working life, she also borrowed books from the local library to contribute to the education of her younger sister, Ruth Jean.

Eileen was married to her late husband, Booker Hughes Dalton, for over fifty years. Booker was born in Patrick County in Five Forks on January 7, 1911, and he was the son of the late Booker Dalton and Lilla Shockley. Booker H. Dalton was a veteran, and he served as a member of the United States Army Air Corps in World War II. Eileen met Booker when he returned home from service in China to Patrick County at the end of the war. Eileen and Booker had one child, a son: Booker Hughes Dalton, Jr.

Eileen lived with her husband in Bassett, VA, until he died in March of 2008. Eileen then moved to Atlanta, Georgia to be with her son and his family, and she lived at Saint Anne’s Terrace. Her son, Booker H. Dalton, Jr., is a physician in Atlanta, and his wife, Gail Dalton, is also a physician, now retired.

She leaves behind her two granddaughters, Ashley Dalton (27) and Virginia Dalton (24). Ashley and Virginia, like their grandmother, are both singers. Neither is as good of a cook. She also leaves behind Tom George, the husband of her late niece, Betsy George, and her great-niece, Jane George.

Eileen will be buried at Meadows of Dan Baptist Church in Meadows of Dan, VA, alongside her husband. She will be remembered and missed dearly for her intense loyalty to the people she loved.

Due to health concerns, there will be no service at this time. A private internment will occur in Meadows of Dan, VA, and a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.