John Henry Butt

BUTT, SPRINKLE, PLACE, IVES

Posted By: Nancy Sackett (email)
Date: 1/31/2014 at 20:53:35

(source: obituary from newspaper)
John Butt, 92, died November 25, 1959, in Detroit MI, where he had lived with his sons since 1950. Prior to that time he had lived in the Diagonal and Shannon City communities since coming to Ringgold county in 1883 at the age of 16.
John Henry was born September 11, 1867 in Perry County near Branchville, IN, the second son of James A and Mary Sprinkle Butt. He came to Ringgold County IA in 1883 to make his home with an uncle, George Sprinkle, on the farm which was later known as the Keller farm in the vicinity northeast of Diagonal and in the community where he was to make his home for 67 years.
In 1890 he was united in marriage with Hattie Levisie Place and they had six children. Two children, a daughter, Ina, and a son, James, died in infancy. With the other members of his family he joined the Jefferson Center Methodist church in 1900, with these memberships being transferred to the Shannon City Methodist church when they moved to that town in 1915.
In his immediate family his wife preceded him in death on June 30, 1932, and a daughter Retta, died in 1943. He is survived by three sons, Walter, Elvis, and Ward, and by three daughters in law, Bess, Eura, and Della, all of Detroit, and by 10 grandchildren, several great grandchildren, and by one great great grandchild..
He was preceded in death by his parents, one sister, Marcia Yaryan, and by five brothers, Theo, Sydney, Willie and Charles, and Francis, who died in infancy. He is survived by a sister, Pearl Ives, and by two brothers, J.S. of Portland Oregon, and Ed of Diagonal. Also surviving are numerous nieces and nephews.
He served the town of Shannon City as mayor for 10 years and was justice of the peace for 4 years. In the nine years he lived in the houses of his sons in Detroit he enjoyed good health and a reasonable amount of activity.
He enjoyed sports and watched all of the baseball games on television. He thoroughly enjoyed the companionship of the various members of his family and had the pleasure of having all of his ten grandchildren visit with him in recent weeks.
Funeral services were held from the Methodist Church in Shannon City with the Rev. Merlin Wilkens in charge. Burial was in Union cemetery.