Joseph Marcell Butler's Obituary
Today I lost the love of my life. He made me laugh, he made me cry, he protected me, he encouraged me to spread my wings and grow. He provided for me and allowed me to provide for myself. He depended on me and me on him, but allowed me all the freedom I needed. He never questioned my activities or my whereabouts. Was he perfect? Thank God, no, for how could I, a very flawed human, live with perfection. He was Yahweh’s greatest gift to me. He passed, due to a long illness, surrounded by his loving and grieving family. Born in Baker, Florida, to JC and Mae Butler. Joe developed polio at the age of 1 and was fortunate enough to outgrow it. The deltoid muscle in his left arm was severely damaged and at the age of 10 he had surgery in St. Petersburg. The shoulder was fused and he was left with limited movement. He never let that stop him. He could bring a strong man to his knees with a handshake. Although it prevented him from joining the military he did play soft ball and football, defense and offense, at Ft. Meade High School and softball on the Briles Mfg. Softball team as pitcher and manager. In 1949, at the age of 19, Joe moved cross country, selling his car along the way to earn traveling money. He hitchhiked and rode the rails. stopping in hobo camps, working odd jobs along the way to earn food money. He ended up in Los Angeles and began a long career in the aerospace fastener industry. He eventually became Director of Manufacturing at Briles Mfg., a company of 500+ employees. In 1972 he started his own aerospace fastener manufacturing business, Butler Inc. We ran it together until 1994 when we sold it and moved to Deltona, Florida. We wanted small time life after living in Los Angeles for so many years. We cared for Joe’s mom, Mae until her death in 2005. In 1954 Joe married Yvonne Stewart and had two wonderful sons, Joe Jr. and Thomas Lee. They divorced in 1971. Joe and Linda met at Briles Mfg. in 1967 and were friends from the beginning. In 1974 they married and Joe adopted Clint William, Linda’s son. They ran Butler Inc. together in Gardena, Ca. and lived in Whittier, Ca. until 1994, when they sold Butler Inc. and moved to Deltona, Fl. Joe loved to hunt and fish and there are a lot of fishing spots in Florida, so he was very happy living back in Florida. He could tell a “fish” story with the best of them. He never met a stranger and made friends wherever he went, male and female. He was one of the most down to earth people I have ever met. There was no pretense in Joe. If you didn’t like who he was, you didn’t have to be his friend. Joe was preceded in death by his father, JC, his mother, Mae, his brother, Roy and his nephew, Robert. He is survived by his adoring wife, Linda, loving sons, Joe Jr. of Lemmon Valley, Nv., Thomas Lee, of Las Vegas, Nv. and Clint William of Deltona, Florida. Also fondly remembered by his niece, Ann Coker, of Sorrento, Florida, Sister-in-Law, Janice Laws and fiancé, Tom, of Bangor, Maine and Sister-In-Law and Brother-in-Law, Christine and Bernie Marble, of Holden, Maine, and many nieces, nephews and friends and dear friends and neighbors, Cindy and Wally Waldschmidt.
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