Jerry and Linda Butler

Carl Butler was the son of the late Carl Butler Sr. and Edna Welch Butler. He married Mary Lynn Montgomery, daughter of the late Oscar and Euda Lancaster Montgomery, on Nov. 28, 1943 by W. E. Boatman. They met in early 1942 at Keeton Springs Methodist Church where Mary was a member. Carl worked as a carpenter and as a welder's helper on Tennessee gas line, the first one installed in this area.

On May 11, 1944, Carl was notified of his upcoming physical at Ft. Oglethorpe, GA. He and other young men met at the Decaturville Courthouse on June 13, 1944. They boarded a Greyhound bus for Camp Shelby, MS, where they were sworn in. On July 10, they moved to Sheppard Field, Wichita Falls, TX. Meanwhile, Mary worked at Salant and Salant in Parsons.

Carl trained in transmitter equipment at Truex Field, Madison, WI. He then went to Scott Field, Il, back to Sheppard Field, then Dow Field at Bangor, ME. On July 10, 1945, he was moved to Presque Isle, ME, then to Ft. Totter, NY, and from there to Goose Bay, Labrador. After one year, Carl boarded a C-47 for Checapee Falls, MA, and was discharged to return home, among others happy to be going home to loved ones.

In November 1946, they purchased the Curry Morgan home place in the Davis Community. In 1949, Carl was employed by the state of Tennessee in the Weights and Measures Division. Jerry was born August 3, 1949; Larry was born September 1, 1951; and Betty arrived on July 23, 1956. Carl was employed by Arthur Brothers for four months at Nunnelly, near Centerville, TN, building and painting a pump station. In 1956, he worked for G. G. Morgan operating heavy equipment near Jefferson City, TN. During that year he was called home to work for Kaddis Manufacturing Corp. in Parsons. They built a new home during 1959, where they continue to make their home today. Mary decided to stay home and take care of the children and the garden.

Jerry graduated from Georgia Tech with a degree in electrical engineering. Larry graduated from the University of Tennessee at Martin with a degree in mechanical engineering technology. Betty graduated from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville with a degree in chemical engineering.

In 1993, Carl and Mary took a western trip, traveling through Missouri, Iowa, Nebraska, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas. Highlights of the trip were a visit to St. Genevieve, MO, and a train ride to the top of Pike's Peak in the snow.

• Decaur County, Tennessee History and Families 1846-1966

Eulogy - William Carl Butler Jr.
written by Jerry, Larry and Betty
May 2, 2012

Daddy was a good father and provider. He did not give us everything we wanted, but all we needed. We were never hungry and always knew we could depend on him. We learned the meaning of “unconditional love” from him not by his words but by the way he treated his children. He taught us the value of hard work through the example he set.

He was a peaceful man and avoided conflict to a fault. He taught us the value of being a good neighbor. He was often called on by neighbors for repairs and he was glad to be of help to anyone.

He enjoyed reading and studying the Bible and discussing what he had read. Carl and Mary built their home in the Davis Community and continued to live in that same house the rest of their married life. They attended the Davis Community Church where Carl was involved with building construction and serving as Sunday School teacher for many years. In later years they enjoyed attending Pleasant Hill Methodist Church.

Daddy was an avid reader and to the end kept up with world events. He loved his coffee and his newspaper - Every word of the newspaper. He would often ask us if we had read the paper that day. If we said yes, he would proceed to quiz us about the content of the paper that day. If we couldn’t discuss it to his satisfaction, he would say “I thought you said you read the paper!”

He was very intelligent and quickly learned new things. At different times, he worked as a farmer, welder, carpenter, painter, weights and measures inspector, heavy equipment operator and machinist. To provide for his growing family, he worked various construction jobs away from home until he joined Kaddis Manufacturing Co. in 1959. He was glad to be home and was very proud to have been selected as one of the first six employees in Parsons. He retired from Kaddis in 1990 as Maintenance Supervisor with 31 years of service.

After retirement, Carl enjoyed vegetable gardening with his wife Mary Lynn and he also grew grapes, muscadines, and black berries. He was often accompanied by his faithful companion Spec, the “smartest dog ever,” who preceded him in death last summer.

He was fascinated by almost anything and loved a good conversation: we would often have to wait for him while he talked with a complete stranger. We were just trying to get home - Daddy was looking for new knowledge and a different perspective on things.

He was extremely frugal and could always make do with what he had on hand. He loved to fix things and did not throw much away because he believed he would need the spare parts someday. We joked that he usually brought more home from the “dump” than he threw away. His “tool shed” is legend with the treasures that it still holds. A machinist by trade, Carl would rather fix something that was not working than to operate a new machine.

He was the oldest son of Carl and Edna Butler. His father was in poor health most of his life and the family moved often, working on different farms to get by. Carl finished the eighth grade and many years later completed his high school GED. He was called into service in 1944 and at the age of 19 left Decatur County for basic training in the Army Air Force and on to Scott Field where he studied radio electronics. He served in Goose Bay, Labrador where he helped ensure radio communications to Europe and the North Atlantic.

He continued his education in the Army Air Force and was a lifelong learner. Because of his humble beginnings in a time when formal education was hard to come by, he valued education. He taught his children that education was something that once you had it, no one could take away from you. He was extremely proud that his three children graduated with engineering degrees. He was equally proud of his grandchildren and never missed an opportunity to boast about his grandchildren and what they were doing.

He was Granddaddy to them and “Uncle Carl” or “Uncle Junior” to twenty nieces and nephews. He was always interested in their lives and how they were doing.

When he could, he enjoyed taking us on vacation trips to Nashville, the Smoky Mountains, the Gulf Coast and without fail, almost every summer to Shiloh.

More than anything, Daddy set an example by his love for his wife Mary Lynn. She was the love of his life for seventy years.

William Carl Butler Jr.

Funeral services for William Carl Butler, Jr. were held on Wednesday, May 2, 2012 at Pleasant Hill United Methodist Church with interment following in the church cemetery. Carl passed away on April 28, 2012 after a short illness. He was born April 19, 1925 to the late William Carl Butler and Edna Welch Butler. He was born at the Lynn Welch place on the Mary Jane Welch Road. He was married to Mary Lynn Montgomery on November 28, 1943 after having met at Keeton Springs Methodist Church. Carl and Mary Lynn were life long residents of Decatur County.

Carl served as a radio technician in the US Army Air Force during World War II. He was based in Camp Shelby, MS; Sheppard Field AFB, TX; Scott Field, WS; Bangor, ME; Presque Isle, ME; and Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada. He was discharged in Chicopee Falls, MA. Archie Cerny of Hay Springs, Nebraska served in many of these same places with Carl and was honorary pall bearer at the funeral.

At various times, Carl worked as farmer, painter, welder, weights and measures technician, heavy equipment operator before joining Kaddis Mfg. Co. in 1959 as one of the first seven employees. He retired in 1990 as maintenance superintendent with 31 years of service.

Carl's proudest achievement was the education of his children in the engineering profession, Jerry - Electrical Engineering, Larry - Mechanical Engineering, Betty - Chemical Engineering. This was especially important to Carl since he only completed the eight grade in the classroom. His own education, of course, went well beyond the classroom.

Carl is survived by his wife of 68 years, Mary Lynn of Decaturville; children, Jerry (Linda) Butler of Gainesville, GA; Larry (Viki) Butler of Tuscumbia, AL; Betty (Geary) Maness of Decaturville; three grandchildren, Samuel (Celina) Butler of Chapel Hill, NC; Daniel (Jill) Butler of Jackson, TN and Angie (Andy) Atwood of Atwood, TN and four great grandchildren, twenty nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, Charles Curtis Butler and sister, Neva Mae Butler Moore.

• Parsons News Leader