Col. Paul Arthur Butler

Paul Arthur Butler was born in Syracuse, New York, on October 6th, 1928, to Henry and Gladys Butler of Cardiff, a hamlet near La Fayette. He was their second child: younger brother to Viola and older brother to Frederick. His father was a carpenter. His maternal grandfather owned the Field apple farm, where he grew up and worked with the family. He met his future wife, Mary Adsitt, in grade school. They dated in high school and throughout his college years at Tri-State University in Angola, Indiana. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in aeronautical engineering in 1948, and entered the Army-Air Force. After completing Officer Candidate School, Second Lieutenant Paul Butler and Mary Adsitt were married at Onativia Methodist Church in La Fayette, New York, on March 31st, 1951.

Six months later he was sent to Korea to fly bombing missions over the North Korean railroads. In April of 1952 he was severely wounded when an anti-aircraft shell burst through the nose of his B-26 Marauder. He was hit by shrapnel, but while fighting along with his crew to keep the plane from crashing, did not immediately realize he was injured. After landing successfully at his base, he was hospitalized, and eventually sent to Japan, and then home when he had recovered sufficiently. He earned the Distinguished Flying Cross, a Bronze Star, a Purple Heart, and an Air Medal with one oak-leaf cluster for his service in Korea.

Following Korea, Paul flew Military Air Transport Service runs between the US and Europe. In 1953, he and Mary became the parents of Paula, followed by Larry in 1955, and Michael in 1957. The Air Force sent him to graduate school at Oklahoma State University in 1958, where he earned Master’s degrees in aeronautical and mechanical engineering. In 1960 he was assigned to Space Command in southern California, where he helped to build and launch communications satellites. After a year in Montgomery, Alabama, studying at the Air Command and Staff College, he became a member of the Air Force Inspector General team based in San Bernardino, California. While there, he was called on to investigate the Apollo I accident in which three veteran astronauts died in their capsule on the launch pad. He prepared and presented much of the report to Congress on that tragedy, which resulted in major safety upgrades that enhanced NASA’s performance.

Later in 1967 he returned to Space Command in El Segundo, California, and resumed his focus on communications satellites. In 1972 he was promoted to Colonel and became the Deputy Program Manager of the Advanced Airborne Command Post, based at Hanscom Air Force Base in Bedford, Massachusetts. After nearly 27 years in the Air Force, he was awarded a Legion of Merit when he retired from the Air Force in 1975, and he began work for E-Systems in Texas, and later Martin-Marietta in Colorado. By 1979, he ended up in Maryland, and worked for Space Com until his second retirement in 1991. On occasion he kept his hand in the business with consulting work.

His children followed in his footsteps. Paula had a successful military career as an Army Nurse, retiring in 1994 as a Lieutenant Colonel. After a few years of coordinating medical research, she currently teaches math and science at a private middle school in Maryland. Larry became an aeronautical engineer, spent a few years in the Marine Corps, and presently works for Boeing in Virginia. Michael is a Senior Systems Engineer for Lockheed-Martin in Florida. Among Paul and Mary’s three children, they have given them eight grandchildren: Jeremy, Jadon, Joelle, Julie, Elaine, Katherine, Jennifer, and Rachel; and two great-grandchildren: Kaleb and Jade. The family enjoyed biannual extended-family vacations in diverse locations, and close holiday celebrations. Just recently, on April 2nd, 2011, Paul and Mary celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary with 100 friends and family members at a Baltimore hotel, with dinner, dancing, wedding cake and vow renewal.

The things Paul enjoyed the most were his twice weekly golfing dates, usually at the Fort Meade Golf Course; his annual deer-hunting expeditions with his father-in-law, Charles Adsitt, brother, Fred, his son, Larry, and nephews, Arthur and Gary, at his camp in upstate New York; his weekly Bible study group at Glen Mar United Methodist Church in Ellicott City, Maryland, and Sunday morning worship among friends and fellow Christians; and almost weekly dinner dates with his wife, Mary. He loved to travel, so he and Mary toured twenty-six percent of the nations of the world, including Russia, Germany, Italy, Great Britain, Mexico, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and many others. Despite his constant hip pain and failing eyesight and hearing, they were looking forward to seeing the fiords of Norway on a cruise in May.

Paul died suddenly Saturday morning, after suffering a heart attack and losing consciousness. He was taken to Howard Community Hospital by ambulance, where the emergency staff worked to revive him for more than an hour, but without success. He was 82 years old, and is already deeply missed by his wife, his children, and scores of family members and friends. They are comforted by the assurance that he is now pain-free, with perfect vision, and full understanding of life’s mysteries in the presence of his Lord Jesus Christ.

Paul’s family can be visited at the Witzke Funeral Home in Columbia, Maryland, on Wednesday evening, April 13th, between 6 and 8 PM. A funeral service will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM at Glen Mar United Methodist Church in Ellicott City, Maryland. Another service will be held in his hometown, LaFayette, New York, at LaFayette Alliance Church, on Saturday, April 16th. Visitation with the family will be at the church at 10 AM, followed by the funeral service at 11 AM. Paul will be buried immediately afterward in the family plot at LaFayette Cemetery. At either location, all are welcome to celebrate his life and legacy with the family.