Sylvia Jane (Powell) Butler, 78, passed away Saturday April 1, 2017 in Stephenville, Texas. She was born July 10, 1938, in Gorman, Texas. Graveside services will be held at 12 p.m. Tuesday, April 4th at Evergreen Cemetery in Ranger, under the directions of Edwards Funeral Home.
Sylvia was known for her loving nature and generosity. She always thought of others first. She greatly loved God, her family, and her friends. Sylvia loved to talk, and she loved to laugh. There is a special place in heaven for military spouses, and Sylvia earned that place after marrying the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Butler, on March 7, 1955. She gave birth to their first son in a military hospital in Germany and their second son was born in a military hospital at Camp Wolters, Texas. Sylvia supported her husband through many relocations and various deployments. After her husband’s retirement from the Army, Sylvia worked alongside her husband (and other business partners) for many years as a co-owner of a number of businesses in the Ranger area: Bob’s Premier, The Gusher, Boomtown Supper Club, The Sundance Club, Mini-Masters Miniature Golf, and Tumbleweed Club (Strawn, Texas). Sylvia later worked for many years for Sally Beauty Supply in Ballwin, Missouri, and Kemah, Texas.
Sylvia was preceded in death by her husband, Robert “Bob” Butler on September 7, 1986. She lost her mother, Opal Glen (Cox) Poovey on March 13, 1992. Sylvia lost her father, William Robert Elton Powell, at an early age, when he was involved in a car accident on November 29, 1941. She also lost two stepfathers: Robert Aubrey Holliday (d. January 3, 1957) and Howard Ray Poovey (d. January 31, 2003).
Sylvia is survived by her son, Robert Dale Butler and his wife Susan (Hamilton) Butler of Nanjemoy, Maryland, and her son, Richard Glenn Butler and his husband Joseph LaGasse of Stephenville, Texas. Her grandchildren include: Kristin Irene Butler and her husband, Robert Thomas Jones; Robert Dale Butler, Jr.; Leslie Kay Newcomb; Randall Gene Butler; Ryan Glenn Butler; and Reed Gregory Butler. Sylvia is also survived by ten great grandchildren; a brother, Robert D. Powell and his wife Dixie Powell of Meridian, Mississippi; and, a favorite aunt, Ruth Ann (Cox) Lemmons of Cedar Hill, Texas.