William Butler

William Charlie Butler, known by his family and friends as W.C. (or “Dub”), passed from this life on Wednesday, January 15, 2020, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. W.C., the first of eight children, was born on March 12, 1934, in Fayette County to parents Farris and Maebelle Butler. W.C. and his siblings shared a closeness that could not be deterred by the passing of time or the growing of their respective families. Birthday celebrations, holidays, siblings-only vacations, and serious domino competitions have remained a constant tradition for these brothers and sisters, and most of W.C.’s best friends were among this group. He married the love of his life, Estelle, in 1952 and welcomed children Donnie and Linda in the years which followed. Long-time members of Chapel Hill Baptist Church in Northport, W.C. and Estelle raised their family in a loving, Christian home. He most enjoyed making and eating homemade ice cream, watching football, playing dominoes, and spending precious time with his family and siblings.

W.C. understood the value of working hard. He worked many years for the City of Tuscaloosa Water Department and ultimately retired from Uniroyal Goodrich. He worked more than one job at a time for most of his life, sending money home to his family every week for many of those years. He had a servant’s heart, giving quietly of his time in ways that most people never knew, plowing fields, cutting grass, helping with house repairs, and providing transportation for friends and family, among so many other things. W.C. spent the last years of his life at North River Village Retirement Community, where he introduced his love of dominoes to his new friends. We know he will be especially missed by the “Ladies of Domino.”

W.C. was preceded in death by his wife of 65 years, Estelle, and by his parents Farris and Maebelle Butler. Survivors include his children, Donnie Butler (wife Pam) and Linda B. Clark (husband Arnold), grandchildren, Joshua Butler and Clay Butler (wife Lauren), and great-grandchildren, Eva and James. Survivors also include his beloved siblings, Frances Ferguson (John), Bennie Butler (Elaine), Douglas Butler (Jennifer), Brenda Snow, Lavelle Butler, Tim Butler (Teresa), and Janice Kuykendall, as well as special friend and companion, Jean Heaney, daughter of the heart, Shelia Hall, and many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday, January 18, 2020 at Magnolia Chapel Funeral Home in Northport, with funeral services to follow at 1:00 p.m. with Dr. Ken Cheek presiding. Burial will follow at Memory Hill Gardens in Tuscaloosa. Serving as pallbearers will be Clay Butler, Tim Butler, Douglas Butler, John Cork, Mike Cork, and Jerry Wright. Honorary pallbearers will be Joshua Butler, Bennie Butler, Lavelle Butler, Hill Smith, Johnnie Hill, and Loy Lunceford. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in W.C.’s memory to Chapel Hill Baptist Building Fund.