Obituary of Marietta Jean Booton
Marietta Jean (Sestito) Booton of Rome, known to all as Jean, passed in her 96th year on October 26, 2024. She leaves an enduring legacy of personal strength, steadfast perseverance, loyal friendships, and love of family.
Jean was born in Rome on 20 February 1929, to the late Joseph and Marianne (Amato) Sestito. A 1946 graduate of Rome Free Academy, she was Class Treasurer and enabled reunions for this exceptionally tight-knit class for over 70 years.
Following graduation, Jean worked for Metropolitan Life Insurance in Rome. Later, she was the executive secretary to the head of RCA at Griffiss Air Force Base during that company’s role as Weapons System Manager for the Ballistic Missile Early Warning System Project. When RCA relocated, Jean began an award-winning 25-year career with the Loyal Christian Benefit Association, insuring thousands of upstate New Yorkers.
After retirement, Jean brought her savvy financial skills to the then-Ava Dorfman Senior Center in Rome by establishing and operating the center’s charity boutique. An accomplished pianist and church organist, Jean gave piano lessons in her home for many years. A lover of travel, she arranged bus tours to central New York attractions for many years and enjoyed family winter vacations in Florida. Her international travel included France, Germany, Austria, Great Britain, Italy, Mexico, and Panama.
Jean is survived by her sister, Doreen (Brian) Kelly, as well as her children, Debra Booton McCoy (Robert McCoy), Edwin Randolph (Sandra) Booton, Ivy (Kevin) McDonough, Bethany (Larry) Robinson, plus seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Jean was preceded in death by husbands, Edwin Ashby Booton of Shenandoah, Virginia and John B. Stoehr of Altoona, Pennsylvania, as well as her beloved brother, Fr. Joseph N. Sestito, USN (Ret.).
Her high school yearbook summed up Jean the best:
When Jean’s around you can’t be blue,
She’ll cheer you up in a minute or two.
A girl with personality plus,
She’s liked by every one of us.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated by Rev. Paul F. Angelicchio, on Thursday, November 7, 2024, at 11:00 AM, at the Church of St. John the Baptist. Burial will be in St. John the Baptist Cemetery.
Relatives and friends may call at the Church on Thursday, from 10 to 11 AM, prior to the Mass.
Funeral arrangements are entrusted to Barry Funeral Home, 807 W. Chestnut Street.
Please offer condolences or light a candle at www.BarryFuneralHome.com.