DEACON ALCEE BUTLER, SR.

Deacon Alcee Butler, Sr - Obituary

Alcee Butler, Sr., age 89, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday morning, July 23, 2019 following a short illness. 

Deacon Butler was born in Wesson, MS on August 16, 1929 to the union of the late Henderson Butler and Sarah Miller-Butler. He completed 12 years of high school and one year of college at Jackson State University in Jackson, MS.

In 1950  he was drafted into the U.S. Army.  He served two years and fought on the front line in combat during the Korean War.   Also, in 1950, before heading to the military, he married Betty Jean Hill.  After returning home from Korea he relocated to Barberton, OH and found employment at the Seiberling Tire & Rubber Company.  Upon gaining employment, his wife, and by then, three children were reunited in Ohio.  In Ohio three additional children were born, blessing them with six children to their union.  

After working 26 years for Seiberling, the plant closed.  He was then blessed to find employment with Firestone Tire & Rubber Company and Midwest Rubber Company.  He retired from the rubber industry in 1995.  

Alcee joined the Galilee Baptist Church in 1952 and was ordained as a Deacon in 1972. He also served in many other capacities in the church.  In March 2009 Deacon and Sister Butler were honored as legends of the church for their faithfulness, devotion and dedication to Galilee.  He also joined the NAACP in 1972 and in December 2017 he was honored as one of the Northeast Ohio Volunteers by the Life Membership Committee of  the Akron NAACP.

Deacon Butler loved sports and was an avid fan of the Cleveland Indians, Browns and Cavaliers. 

He was preceded in death by his wife of 58 years, Mrs. Betty Jean Butler; his son, Jerry L. Butler;  son-in-law Andre L. Morton; nephew Demetrius T’Juan Butler; sisters, Gertha Mae Lee and Christine Butler;  infant brother Ocee Butler; brothers-in-law Charles Hill and James Hill.

He leaves to cherish his memory, daughter Linda Morton; son, Alcee Butler Jr., daughter Liz (James) McElroy; sons Ronnie (Amelia) Butler, and Steven (Sharon) Butler, sister-in-law Willie Earl Hill, Chicago, IL; and brother-in-law Willie O. Lee, Jackson, MS. His eleven grandchildren include Brandon (Samantha) Morton, Stacy (Jeff) Sanders; Yashonda Beckett, Carmen Beckett, Kiesha Butler, Stevero Butler, Teala Butler, Martin Butler, Ashley Brooks, Patrice Butler and Marquis Barnhardt. He was blessed to see the third and fourth generations of his family.  He leaves  16 great-grandchildren and 4 great-great grandchildren.  There are a host of cousins, nieces and nephews in Akron, OH; Grandview, MO; Chicago, IL; Wesson, Brookhaven and Jackson, MS;  Atlanta, GA;  and Houston, TX.  Dear to his heart were Beverly Harrell, Patricia Harrell-Ramanou, and since they were babies, Varnell Green and Lydia Green-Schumake.  He is also survived by family pets Maxx, Quincy, Griffy and Ollie.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of DEACON ALCEE BUTLER, SR., please visit our floral store.