Butler

David Ainsley Butler, 80, of La Grange passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, May 11, 2021.

The son of a high school band director, David was born into a musical household in Austwell on Sept. 14, 1940, to Hugh and Thyra Jean (Horne) Butler.

He attended the University of Texas at Austin, where he played trumpet in the Longhorn Marching Band and first laid eyes upon the love of his life, Mary Ann Stromberg, in the clarinet section. He somehow managed to overcome the distractions of love and earn a Master’s of Science in Chemistry, which launched his career in food chemistry, and later his work as a small business owner, and on the staff of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in Cincinnati, Ohio.

David married Mary Ann on Jan. 27, 1962 in Austin, and the couple was blessed with two children: David Jr. and Alicia. In 1971, they bought an old farmhouse near Ammannsville, which they returned to often from their homes in Texas, California, Mississippi, Arkansas and Ohio; they retired to La Grange in 2010.

David was gifted with a beautiful voice. He sang in the choir of every church he ever belonged to, most recently at St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church of La Grange, where he also played in the handbell choir. David also loved observing and learning about the natural world and became a Texas Master Naturalist, in the Gideon Lincecum Chapter, with whom he could often be seen cleaning up Fayette County’s roadsides.

David is survived by his wife of fifty-nine years, Mary (Stromberg) Butler; son, David Butler, Jr. and wife, Tiffiny of Friendswood; daughter, Alicia Butler and her wife, Judith of Austin; brother, Mitchell Butler and wife, Eleanor of Center Point; two sisters-in-law: Barbara Boyd and husband, Duane and Joyce Stromberg, all of Austin; brother-in-law, Donald Becker of Dallas; special uncle, William Parr Stromberg and wife, Sadie of Lockhart. He shared many a silly joke with three grandchildren: Hunter Ainsley and McKenna Lynn Butler and Jordan Rosalie Chedville; and also had many special nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents; three sisters: Jean Becker, Loma Butler, and Ethel Butler; one grandson, Logan Ainsley Butler; and sister-in-law, Sharon Butler.

A Celebration of Life will be held outdoors on Sunday, May 23, 2021, at 4 p.m., at the Rutersville Sons of Hermann Hall, 5830 State Highway 159, La Grange, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations be made to St. Paul Evangelical Lutheran Church, P.O. Box 567, La Grange, TX 78945; to the Gideon Lincecum Chapter - Texas Master Naturalist, 1305 East Blue Bell Road, Suite 104, Brenham, TX 77833; or to Christ the King Lutheran Church Choir, 7393 Dimmick Rd., West Chester, OH 45069.

Family and friends can view and sign the guestbook online at www.lagrangefunerals.com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Koenig-Belvill Funeral Home & Cremations in La Grange.