Ruth Ella Butler's Obituary
RUTH ELLA BUTLER was born on January 24, 1910, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to Foster and Mattie Morris. Her mother Mattie passed away when she was a baby, but she was blessed with a loving stepmother that she called “Big Momma.” When she was a child there was no television but she listened intensely to the radio. It was hard breaking her concentration when her favorite show “Amos ‘n’ Andy” was on. After her school years Ruth Ella studied coursework to become a certified nurse’s assistant (CNA) where she achieved her desire to help the “sick and shut-in.”
As a young woman Ruth Ella met Delbert Butler. He had three small children that she fell in love with before falling in love with their father. When she and Delbert married they moved their young family to Clarksville, Texas, and had twelve additional children. The Butler’s operated a candy store that serviced their community for many years. In 1953, Ruth Ella moved to Madera, California to be close to several of her oldest daughters, as they lived in various cities in the valley and bay area. She continued her CNA work at the Rosemont Convalescent Hospital where she was a popular assistant because she could get folks to eat when no one else could. When she retired from hospital work she became a thrift store worker because thrift store shopping was one of her favorite past time activities (but the 99 cent store was her favorite thrifty store because they had something for every occasion).
Ruth Ella believed in God with all her heart, and believed in going to church. She raised her family in church and ensured her extended family attended church too throughout her lifetime. When she moved to Sacramento, California, and lived on 7th Avenue in the Oak Park area, she joined the Christ Temple Baptist Church. She was an active church member there for more than twenty years. She left Christ Temple in 1976 to attend the church of her daughter, Pastor Emma Billie, becoming one of the first, original, Higher Heights members.
At Higher Heights she held several roles. She was a primary teacher, an Usher, and the Pastor’s Aide where she served for over 30 years. She taught Vacation Bible School, organized church bizarres and delighted kids of all ages with the famous “fish ponds” that only she could put together. She was the oldest Higher Heights church member and called the “Mother of the Church.” She was a praying woman. For this role she was called a “Prayer Warrior”, in part because she was always ready to be picked up to attend the weekly 6:00 a.m. prayer hour service.
Ruth Ella Butler was known by many, as she “never met a stranger.” Everyone in her life loved her and she loved them in return. She had many titles, but was fondly known as “Mother Butler.” In her 104 years she had many hobbies. She liked to cook from scratch and was famous for her peach cobbler, tea cake and chocolate chip cookies, and homemade ice cream. She feed many people by her deeds alone, and served them with a southern hospitality.
She liked to fish and would at times rather fish than eat. She especially enjoyed going fishing “out on the boat” with her favorite son-in-law Billy; or with Sister Cummings and son Robert at a lakeside; or with Jay and Diana Nelson in Howe Avenue Park; or with any of her many other grandchildren, at any time. She will always be remembered for her camping & fishing trip with daughter Ruthie and family where she was the only one who caught a fish one weekend because she had “the touch!” When anyone mentioned fishing she was ready to go, and possessed her own fishing poles into old age.
She also liked sewing, talking on the phone, and watching soap operas where she knew the characters enough to call her daughters Trudye and Corine to talk about the day’s episode. She enjoyed the exercise she made famous in our family, that of “touching her toes.” She proudly showed up many family members and thrilled the younger kids so much that one grandson, named Uriel, wrote a book about her “talent.”
She loved to travel. She talked about her trips to Hawaii and Denver, Colorado (at age 89, alone, by train) often. Her favorite California getaways were when she visited with her families in Madera (with daughter Domma and her husband Julius [now deceased]) and Stockton. (In Stockton, granddaughter Re-Re and great-granddaughter LaShona would take turns pampering and spoiling her so much that sometimes it was hard getting her to come back home.)
In the end, Rurh Ella helped to raise a great many of her grandchildren (across the generations). She took some “grands” in to live with her and assisted others via long distance with “motherly” advice and prayer. In her final days, she was faithfully cared for by family members; especially daughter Trudye, and grandchildren Barbara, Larry, Sylvia, Shane, and Waco. She departed this world surrounded by family (including daughters – Emma, Josie, and Ruthie; daughter-in-law Cheryl) listening to a softly sanged song by her son David called the “The Blood of Calvary, Never lose His Power” in one ear and the other, daughter Trudye confirming for her, it was “okay to let go now.”
Ruth Ella is preceded in death by all of her siblings, her stepchildren, daughters Ula Mae and Velma, son Delbert Jr., one stillborn child, and several grandchildren. She leaves to cherish her memories: daughters Ruth Ella Mattingly (known as Domma), Emma Billie, Josie (Billy) Hill, Trudye Beckwith, Corine Washington, Ruthie (Tori) Williams, and son David (Cheryl) Butler; 39 grandchildren, over 110 great-grandchildren, over 135 great-great grandchildren, and 21 great-great-great grandchildren; a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, her church family, and friends.
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