Mary Lou Butler

Mary Lou Butler peacefully went home to her Lord and the love of her life, Bob, on December 18, 2022. She was a resident of Randal House in Tipp City, Ohio. She resided there for the last 18 months, where she was loved dearly by the staff.

She was born to Foster and Lena Shaw on November 10, 1926 in Springfield, Ohio. She grew up there and graduated from Springfield South High School.

One day while she and her friends gathered, Mary Lou was wearing a blouse with names written on it. A handsome young man approached her and asked if his name was on her blouse. She asked his name and the rest, as they say, is history, and what a grand history it was!

Bob enlisted in the US Army to join his idol, his brother, Harry in June of 1943. Mary, still in high school, began sending and receiving love letters across the ocean, to and from the European Theater. The letters read like poetry and filled two shoe boxes so tightly, one could barely slip a bread knife between them. Upon Bob’s return in November of 1945, they were married on an icy New Year’s Eve and were married for 56 years.

Mary Lou and Bob were the loving parents of Bonita Lou Pierson, 1946, Sarah Lowe, 1955, and Curtis Eugene, 1959.

In 1956, with the help of Mary Lou’s father, Foster, an architect and builder, they built their home of 62 years on John Bryan Road in Yellow Springs.

Mary Lou was a medical transcriber at Dr. Berley and Hyde for 25 years, and was an active member of the Yellow Springs United Methodist Church for over 60 years.

Mary Lou was beautiful both inside and out. She had a quick wit and a boisterous, contagious laugh. She loved to garden, can, sew, crochet, play board and yard games with her family, hunt mushrooms in the spring, and she loved sports. She was an awesome euchre player- feared and admired by her family.

Mary Lou was preceded in death by her husband, James Robert Butler, brother, Robert (Mildred) Shaw, brothers-in-law, Harry Jr. (Bernice) and Tom (Sue) Butler.

She is survived by her sister, Nancy (John) Behling of Columbus, Ohio, brother-in-law, Jay Butler and late wife, Garnett, her 3 children, grandchildren; Kelly (Rob) Bowers, Terrie Hottle and her late husband, Dave, Trevor (Hannah) Lowe, Carly (Scott) Matheson, Morgan (Simon) Quinn, and James and Samuel Butler, 3 great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Mary Lou was loved by many and will be missed by all her family and friends.

Family and friends will be received on Wednesday, December 21, 2022 from 11:00-12:00 p.m. at the Jackson Lytle and Lewis Funeral Home, Yellow Springs. The funeral service will begin at 12:00 p.m., officiated by Pastor Rick Jones. Mary Lou will be laid to rest at Glen Forest Cemetery next to her loving husband, James immediately following the funeral service. Online condolences may be expressed to the family by visiting www.jacksonlytle.com.