Holton “Reid” Batton lost his battle to cancer on June 28, 2023, the day after his 27th birthday. Born on June 27, 1996, in Pinehurst, North Carolina, Reid was one of those rare people with the ability to talk to a perfect stranger and make them feel comfortable. Everything he touched shone brighter because of it. A born leader, he earned the nickname “The Mayor” in preschool.
Reid grew up in Pinehurst, spending his early years playing recreation and travel inline hockey and recreation basketball, all coached by his father. Reid had a close-knit group of childhood friends, that continued to grow as he got older. Weekends were often spent together at his mother’s house with sleepovers, mounds of junk food and campfires in the backyard. He was active in his church youth group and Sandhills YoungLife, where he was selected to spend a summer on the Work Crew at the YoungLife Camp in Minnesota. He was a mentor to younger kids serving as a counselor for Sandhills WyldLife and coaching a youth inline hockey team.
One of his happy places was on the water, spending time at the beach, lake and river with his cousins. He especially loved wakeboarding and taking his beloved golden retriever, Kasey, for jet ski rides. He volunteered as a diabetes camp counselor, helping younger kids learn to cope with Type I diabetes just as he had learned to do. He never let his diabetes hold him back, and he never complained.
After graduating from Pinecrest High School, he attended the University of South Carolina and graduated cum laude in 2018 with a degree in Supply Chain and Operations Management. He made lifelong friends in his fraternity, Beta Theta Pi, and was looked up to and respected by his brothers. It was also at USC that he met his soulmate, Elizabeth “Beth” Richardson. The love they shared only grew stronger and they eventually moved to Greenville, N.C., where Reid worked at International Paper. They fought his illness together, with Beth supporting him during each and every treatment. They got married on December 30, 2022.
Reid was special. He was an avid fan of the Carolina Hurricanes and Gamecock football. He was a devoted son, loving husband, beloved grandson, nephew, son-in-law, brother-in-law and uncle —- truly a friend to everyone. He was friendly, approachable and one of the funniest people you’d ever meet. Though he was an only child, he was fiercely protective of his two younger cousins, whom he loved like siblings.
The courage and strength Reid exhibited throughout his illness inspired all around him. If sheer determination, grit and stubbornness were a cure, he would have been healthy in no time. For more than two years, he continued to live life, love Beth, his family, friends and beloved dogs, Moose and Pawley, facing every challenge with hope and optimism. He never lost his sense of humor and kept those around him laughing, winning over his doctors and nurses the same way he won over everyone else.
Reid is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Richardson; mother, Kathy Batton; father, Jeff Batton; grandparents Donald and Janet Batton, Susan Swinarski and Jack and Susan Moore; aunts and uncles Susie Masten, John and Catherine Moore, Tammy and Brad Spencer; cousins, Paige and Sam Masten; father and mother-in-law, David and Allison Richardson; his sister in-law Kate Highley and her husband, Sean; and niece, Paige Highley.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, July 8, at 2 p.m. at The Fair Barn, 200 Beulah Hill Road South, Pinehurst, N.C., with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, the family asks you to consider donating to the Dr. Hoimes Germ Cell Tumors and Immunotherapy Fund established in Reid’s memory. Proceeds from the fund will provide financial assistance with travel and lodging so patients with germ cell tumors can participate in clinical trials at the Duke Cancer Institute.
Donations can be made online through the following link, https://www.gifts.duke.edu/mem/Batton, or to the Duke Cancer Institute Development Fund, 300 W Morgan Street, Ste. 1000, Durham NC 27701.
Online condolences may be left at: www.bolesfuneralhome.com
Services are entrusted to Boles Funeral Home, Pinehurst.
