Gary Lee Butler's Obituary
Gary L. Butler, 79, of Broken Arrow, OK, went home to Heaven on November 18, 2023, after a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. Gary was born on July 27, 1944, to Everett & Ethel (Ramey) Butler in Mooreland, OK. He was the fourth of five boys born to his parents.
Gary grew up on a farm south of Curtis, OK. He attended Curtis Elementary, a small 8 grade country school. In the 9th grade, he transferred to Mooreland High School where he graduated in 1962. Gary was quite active in FFA in high school. Through this organization, he not only participated in livestock judging, but became very active in public speaking. After competing throughout the country in various preliminary speech contests, he was named the 1962 National FFA Speech Champion at the national competition in Kansas City.
After graduating from high school, Gary went on to Oklahoma State University to major in Agricultural Economics. In the fall of his junior year, while standing in the “drop and add line” at the OSU Student Union, he met a girl from Miami, OK named Ruth Ann Wolf. They got to know each other fairly well after waiting in line for a couple of hours which led to a dating relationship. Gary proposed to Ruth Ann in May of 1965 at OSU’s Theta Pond. They both graduated from OSU in 1966 and two weeks later, on June 3rd, were married at the First Baptist Church in Miami, OK.
Gary started law school at The University of Oklahoma in the fall of 1966 while Ruth Ann took her first teaching job in Noble, OK. On March 31, 1969, during his final year of law school, their son Byron Gene was born. Upon graduation in May 1969, Gary passed the Oklahoma Bar Exam and prepared to enter the US Army in September 1969 to fulfill a 2-year commitment to military service. The family moved to Fort Lee, VA for his first assignment at the Army Logistics Management Center. Lieutenant Butler taught contract law for one year to other officers. He thought this would be a 2-year assignment, but in May 1970, he received a letter from President Richard Nixon informing him that he had been selected to serve his country in Vietnam. He accepted this assignment with the greatest sense of duty to his country. He left for Vietnam in September 1970, leaving Ruth Ann and Byron behind. Gary was stationed at the Port of Qui Nhon. His main job was to negotiate shipping contracts between South Korea and the United States. While there he was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service to his country.
After completing his assignment in Vietnam in July 1971, Gary returned to Miami, OK where Ruth Ann and Byron were residing during his absence. He started his private law practice. He practiced law in Miami for twenty-five years. On April 9, 1976, Gary and Ruth Ann welcomed their daughter, Farrah Gwynne. Gary also served as Municipal Judge for the City of Miami. He was Chairman of the Board of Deacons at First Baptist Church. He was also very active in community organizations including President of the Jaycee, President of the Rotary Club, and Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Baptist Integris Hospital for several years. He was a former member of the Oklahoma Bar Association and the Oklahoma Trial Lawyer’s Association.
Gary had a great love for all sports. He was active in his kids’ sporting endeavors and in those years you could find him in the yard with Byron practicing long snapping and with Farrah working on basketball post moves in the driveway. Gary loved the OSU Cowboys and attended many football and basketball games. He traveled to many OSU football bowl games and took his family with him on many of these occasions. This helped his children develop their love for his alma mater. When his grandchildren came along, he followed them in all of their sporting endeavors as well, from Neil and Nathan playing football and baseball in Fort Worth, TX, to Lillie and Brooke playing softball, basketball and volleyball for the Inola Longhorns. When Lillie decided to go to Duke University to play softball, he was never able to see her play in person, but he never missed a game on television.
Gary was preceded in death by his parents, Everett & Ethel Butler, and three of his four brothers, Paul, Roy, and Roger.
Survivors include his wife, Ruth Ann, of the home, his son Byron, daughter-in-law Christy, and their two sons, Neil and Nathan of Inola, OK. He is also survived by a daughter Farrah, and her husband Joe Walker, and their two daughters, Lillie and Brooke of Inola, OK. In addition, he is survived by his younger brother, Vernon Butler and his wife Kathy of Fort Gibson, OK. Additional survivors include numerous sisters-in-law, cousins, nieces, and nephews.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Tunnel to Towers Foundation @ https://t2t.org/
Celebration of Life Service will be at 12:30 pm, Friday, November 24, 2023, at Floral Haven Funeral Home Chapel. Visitation will be 1 hour prior to the Service.
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