Dr. Velma McGuffee Butler, 74, of Many, LA formerly of Enterprise, LA, passed away on Tuesday, November 12, 2024, in the comfort of her and her husband’s home.
Services were held at 12 p.m., Saturday, November 16, 2024, at Aimwell Baptist Church, Zwolle, LA.
She was born August 23, 1950, in Columbia, LA to the union of her parents, Cecil and Irene McGuffee.
She was the oldest of the three McGuffee children (herself, Clyde McGuffee, and Rachel Breithaupt). She grew up in Enterprise, LA along the Ouachita River in Catahoula Parish in the home of Cecil and Irene McGuffee. In 1968, she graduated from Enterprise High School as the valedictorian and member of the state champion basketball team.
On July 3rd, 1969, Dr. Butler married her husband Gary Butler shortly before he shipped off to the Vietnam War. In 1971, Velma graduated Summa Cum Laude from Northeast Louisiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Vocational Home Economics Education. In 1973, Gary and Velma welcomed their first child, Angela. After teaching for two years in rural Louisiana and Mississippi, Velma and Gary moved to Brunei with their now two-year-old daughter. During their 4 years in Brunei, they welcomed their oldest son Christopher (1975), but eventually moved back to Enterprise, LA where they had their youngest daughter Jessica in 1978 and their youngest son, Andrew in 1983.
With four children, Dr. Butler decided it was time to further her education while balancing family responsibilities. In 1986, she earned her Master of Education from NLU and in 1988, her Doctor of Philosophy in Home Economics at Oklahoma State University. She then accepted a position at NLU and taught there for the next 17 years.
During her time at NLU (now University of Louisiana at Monroe), Dr. Butler focused her energy on trying to help students that came from difficult backgrounds or experienced challenging circumstances. Her non-profit program ‘Even Start’ focused on mentoring young mothers in life skills and finding them a path to a GED and higher education. Dr. Butler was passionate about teaching young mothers and fathers parenting skills that they may not have been exposed to growing up.
She was preceded in death by both her parents and her younger brother, Clyde.
Those left to cherish her memory include her husband of 55 years, Gary Lee Butler; her sister, Rachel Breithaupt (Craig) of Jena, LA; her four children, Angela Butler (Paul) of Marshall, IL, Christopher Butler (Marilyn) of Albuquerque, NM, Jessica Butler of Shreveport, LA and Andrew Butler (Jacqueline) of Longview, TX; her ten grandchildren, Caitlyn Walpole, Leanne Butler, Alexander Martinez, Marcus Butler, Joseph Butler, James Butler, Liam Butler, Aiden Butler, Bryce Butler and Allie Butler; her great grandchild, Maddox Smith; brother-in-law, Jerry Butler; and sisters-in-law, Cindy McGuffee and Judy Butler.
