Jerry Butler

Jerry Butler, 77, of Meridian, MS passed away peacefully at his residence on Thursday, July 12, 2018. His funeral service will be held on Monday, July 16 at 2:00 P.M. at Butler Pentecostal Church near Shuqualak, MS. with Bro. Gerald Butler officiating. Interment will follow in Butler Cemetery. Visitation will be held Monday from 1:00 until 2:00 P.M. at the church. Memorials are requested to the Donor’s favorite church mission fund; to the Parkinson’s Foundation 200 SE 1 ^st Street, Suite 800, Miami, Fla 33131; or to the Alzheimer’s Foundation of American 322 Eighth Avenue, 7th Floor,  New York, NY 10001. Cockrell Funeral Home of Macon, MS is honored to be entrusted with the service arrangements.

Arthur Gerald “Jerry” Butler was born on July 23, 1941 in the Butler Community near Shuqualak to the late Henry Hurbert and Christine Presley Butler. He graduated from Shuqualak High School as well as East Mississippi Junior College. He later graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi with a B.S. degree in Business Administration. In 1965 Jerry was inducted into the U.S. Air Force and served honorably, including a stint in Viet-Nam, until his discharge in 1969. In 1969 he married the former Gayle Mosley, who preceded him in death in 2017 after 48 years of marriage. Jerry began working for the International Harvester Corporation, which later became Case/IH. His job with the company was as a trouble-shooter and he was called upon to go all over the eastern United States helping dealerships to get set up and also making sure that each dealership had all the equipment that it needed for its location. Jerry and Gayle lived in many cities located all over his service area, including Memphis, TN, Baton Rouge, LA, Chicago, Ill, Racine, WI,  Clarksdale, MS and finally in Orangeburg, SC. In Orangeburg, Jerry purchased a local Case/IH dealership which he and Gayle operated for ten years before finally retiring to Meridian, MS. There they became members of Highland Baptist Church where they served faithfully, including going on several mission trips to Peru. Jerry enjoyed playing golf as long as his health allowed him to and then watching golf and other sports on TV. While in South Carolina, Jerry had become an avid Atlanta Braves fan and he always enjoyed watching them play. Jerry was a collector of all things painted Case/IH red and white. He had a large collection of miniature tractors, combines and other implements gathered over his lifetime as well as caps, jackets, and many other collectable items. Jerry was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, his wife, and by an infant son: Steven.

Jerry Butler is survived by his sister-in-law: Brenda T. Butler of Shuqualak and by his brothers-in-law: Alton Mosley (Betty) and Wallace Mosley (Shelia), both of Meridian, as well as by many nieces and nephews. He also leaves behind his very special caregivers: Lakeisha Phillips, Angela Campbell, Tina Coleman, Kimberly Scott, and Miranda Hudson, all of whose care, compassion, and loving kindness was evident each day and was always so greatly appreciated.