Larry William Butler

Mr. Larry William Butler, 84, passed away Thursday, March 7, 2024, at Monroe Regional Hospital, Aberdeen, MS.  A funeral service is planned for Friday, March 15, 2024, at 10:00 a.m. at Butler Pentecostal Church in Shuqualak MS. Interment will follow in Butler Cemetery. Visitation will be held at Cockrell Funeral Home, Thursday, March 14, 2024, from 6-8 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity Place Retirement Community, 300 Airline Rd, Columbus, MS  39702 or Butler Cemetery Fund, 991 Johnny Higginbotham Rd., Shuqualak, MS  39361.   Cockrell Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with arrangements.

Larry Butler was born in Gholson, MS on June 24, 1939, and grew up in the Butler Community, helping in the hard life of a farm family. He enjoyed his time there with his family and friends.  He graduated from Shuqualak High School and East Mississippi Junior College. He went on to further his education at the University of Southern Mississippi, graduating there on May 26, 1965, with a Bachelor of Science Degree and later from Mississippi State University with a Master’s Degree. Larry took a job in San Marcos, Texas where he worked for the Job Corps teaching welding and underwater welding. On December 22, 1965, he and the love of his life, Jo Ann Hanselman, married while on the way back to Mississippi for Jo Ann to meet Larry’s parents. While in Texas, they also lived in Waco for a while.

In 1971, Larry and Jo Ann moved back to Shuqualak where Larry opened a welding shop. He also taught welding to high school students at the Noxubee County Vocational Technical Center in Macon. Later an opportunity came open to teach welding at the EMJC (now East Mississippi Community College) campus which he accepted and taught there for several years. Larry loved working with cattle and ran his own herd for many years with help from his son and other young men around the area. He was active in the Noxubee County Cattleman’s Association and was on the Noxubee County Soil Conservation Board for many years.

Larry enjoyed following his children and later his grandchildren in their school and sports activities and as they pursued their own hobbies. He also enjoyed all the aspects of small-shop welding, especially fabricating and making lamps, tables, signs, and bed frames out of horse shoes and iron. Larry never met a stranger: he would soon know and talk to anyone around him and he especially enjoyed his morning coffee group as they sat around and shared stories and solved all the world’s problems. Above all, Larry’s faith in God, his marriage to Jo Ann, his children and grand-children and his friends were always first and foremost on his heart and what he treasured and talked about the most. He always thanked God in his prayers for all the blessings of his life.

Larry is survived by his son: Randy (Tiffiany) Butler of Macon, MS and two daughters: Stacy (David) Livingston of Forest, MS and Michele (Brach)White of Carrollton, Ala. Also surviving are Larry’s grandchildren: Redmon (Whitney) Butler, Suzanne Mosley and Wade Mosley, and Jeff (Rayanna Maddox) White ,Callie (Luke) Rohrer and Jesse White and great-grandchildren Marianna Butler and Phoebe Jo Rohrer. Also left to mourn his passing are brothers-in-laws Jim Newell of Columbus, MS and Leo Hanselman of Piedmont, OK and a sister-in-law Louise Havel of Kyle, TX. Larry was preceded in death by his parents and his wife.