Ron was born on May 26, 1943 in Paola, Kansas, to parents Buford and Iva Butts of Osawatomie. He graduated from Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia with a Bachelors in Business Administration and a Masters in Guidance and Counseling. After graduation, he began his career with Southwestern Bell in Parsons. His career then took him to Topeka, where he met Deborah Deck of Wichita. They married in 1972 and spent 6 years in Hays before returning to Topeka, where they raised their family and lived for 36 years. Ron retired from Southwestern Bell after over 20 years of service. Unwilling to remain retired, he worked as General Manager for Topeka Transit for over 10 years, and was instrumental in the development of a fully accessible bus fleet and the construction of the Quincy Street Station.
After retiring from Topeka Transit, Ron and Debby moved to Celina, Texas in 2014 to be close to their family. Ron enjoyed spending time with his children and five grandchildren, attending as many games,
events, and activities as possible.
Throughout his life, Ron was actively involved in various community and youth activities. Among others, he served as Kiwanis President, as the United Fund Drive Chairman, and as President of the Hays Chamber of Commerce. He coached many youth sports teams, served as Boy Scout Pack Leader, and served jointly with Debby as Presidents of the Washburn Rural High School Booster Club.
Ron is survived by his wife, Deborah, of Celina, Texas; his son, David and his wife Amie, of Wylie, Texas; his daughter, Jennifer Klein and her husband Keith, of Frisco, Texas; and grandchildren, Linden, Carson, Hudson, Caden and Aliya. He is also survived by siblings, Lottie Phegley of Osawatomie, LeRoy Butts of Mesquite, Texas, and Helen Winters of Dixon, Missouri. He is preceded in death by his parents and his brother, Larry Butts, of Clinton, Missouri.
All are invited to celebrate Ron’s life at the visitation on Tuesday, June 19 from 5-7 pm and the memorial service on Wednesday, June 20 at 10 am, at Stonebriar Funeral Home in Frisco, Texas. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be sent in Ron’s memory to the Faith Presbyterian Hospice Caring Fund (www.faithpreshospice.org), in recognition of the loving care they provided him during his final days.
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