Maisy Louise Butler

Maisy Louise Butler was born on November 4, 1921 in Russell, St. Elizabeth Jamaica W.I., the first of five children born to the late Clinton and Lillian Brown. She has two remaining siblings, Hazel and Clinton. Her family later moved to Manchester where she grew up and flourished on a farm. She shared stories and memories of happy childhood days that kept her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren in rapt attention as she told of tending the garden, feeding animals, picking fruits from trees, making hot chocolate from beans, school lessons and strict teachers, and our family ancestry so we know where we come from.

Maisy attended Campbell’s Castle School in Manchester. After completing school, she took vocational training in dressmaking. In the spring of 1945, Maisy immigrated to New York where she lived with relatives in Brooklyn and later Harlem. She worked as a housekeeper and occasional dressmaker, met, and courted Gladstone Butler, a machinist. They married in 1949 and settled in Brooklyn where they had five daughters, Brenda, Patricia, Wendy, Norma, and Pamela.

Young Maisy had a love of reading and was a staunch believer in self-improvement. She instilled the value of hard work and education in her children. After a long day of work in a clothing factory, she still made time help her daughters with homework. Later Maisy worked as a School Lunch Aide for the NYC Board of Education and retired after 22 years. She was widowed in 1986 and as the matriarch of the family, she took an active role in rearing, caring, and guiding her growing younger generation of family members.

Maisy had a quiet intelligence and could discuss history and world events easily with anyone. She would state the facts and offer her opinions but never tried to force her views on others.

She had high ideals and a creed that she lived by:

• Take life in stride and do not let things worry you. Faith in God will not

give you more to carry than you can ever bear.

• Take care of your family members and share what you can spare with

others in need.

• Education is necessary to better oneself.

• Do not look for, or expect anyone to do what you can do for yourself.

• Have respect for yourself and others and do not wish ill will on anyone.

• Be righteous and have some personal morals, virtue, and standards.

She has taught these ideals to her children to carry through life and pass on. In the eyes of her family, no one will ever compare to Maisy Butler. No one can ever wish to fill her shoes because Maisy Butler will be an extremely hard act to follow.

Maisy leaves to cherish her loving memory: Daughters, Brenda, Patricia, Wendy, Norma, and Pamela. Sons in Law: Kenneth Bang and Michael K. Brown. Grandchildren: Tiffany, Sean, Joseph Jr., Nia, Cheyenne, Brian, and Brandon. Great-Grandchildren: Stephen, Dahnique, Joseph III, Kalani, Sean Jr, Savannah, Anisa, Peter, and Nikolas.