Betty Jane "B.J." Searles

March 13, 1925 - October 13, 2020

Betty Jane “B.J.” Searles, age 95, passed away peacefully Tuesday, October 13, 2020 at Hospice of Northwest Ohio in Toledo. Born in Blairsville, Pennsylvania on March 13, 1925, she was the third child and only daughter of Elmer and Ella (Litzinger) Reese. Along with her two brothers Harold and Don, the family moved to Altoona, Pennsylvania and then on to Warren, Ohio where she attended Warren G. Harding High School. She became a member of Gamma Phi Beta Sorority at Bowling Green State University where she met her longtime friend Phyllis Conroy. B.J. began teaching on the east side of Toledo while staying with the Hecklinger family. It was through them that she met Dan Searles. The couple soon wed at Collingwood Presbyterian Church and later became members of Epworth United Methodist Church. B.J. stayed home to raise her family of three children while Dan ran the Searles Brothers Greenhouse on the family acreage on Dorr Street in west Toledo. As a member of Inverness Club, she enjoyed many years of playing golf, tennis, paddle tennis and cross-country skiing. She loved spending her summers at the family cottage in Michigan and boating on the Maumee River. B.J. had many talents and interests including painting, traveling, reading, crocheting, and sewing. She also enjoyed her two luncheon groups, the Jake’s Group (former Jacobson’s associates) and the Birthday Girls, especially when they went to Rosie’s Italian Grille. B.J. was a loving and caring person not only to her family and friends but to everyone she met. She was a stylish and gracious lady all throughout her life. She is survived by her two sons and daughter, two grandsons and daughter-in-law, and several nieces and nephews. B.J. was preceded in death by her two brothers and husband. Honoring her wishes, there will be no visitation, and services and burial will be private. B.J. and her family would like to thank the staffs of the University of Toledo Medical Center and Hospice of Northwest Ohio for all their devoted care. Also, thanks for everyone’s thoughts and prayers, especially those from Barb Holtz and Rose LaNeve. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Hospice of Northwest Ohio, 800 South Detroit Avenue, Toledo, OH 43609. Please view and sign the guest registry at coylefuneralhome.com