Eva Mae (Holland) Butler was born July 23, 1933 to Henryetta and Floyd Holland, and died on 24 March 2022.
Eva had a life well lived. She had practical wisdom, a sense of humor, and the strength to deal with whatever came her way, good times or bad.
Eva married Edgar Leo Butler on September 29th, 1951. She became the backbone of a family that was her life-long pride and joy. She kept the Butler family train on the rails at all times, and she was the model for the four girls she raised.
Her daughters grew to be smart, resilient, hard-working, independent and capable women. Eva often stated that her girls were the most important accomplishment of her life. Eva’s influence continues through her daughters’ families, her grandchildren, and her great-grandchildren.
Eva Mae Holland lost her father at age 3. During her childhood she was required to step up and help her mother tend to siblings, nephews and nieces in the Holland family. Eva was further tempered by the tragic loss of her daughter Teresa, aged 19. Eva was the rare type of person who could cope with loss, and carry on. She was a small, soft-spoken woman but she was unbreakable.
Eva Mae Holland graduated from Clayton High School in 1951, in the top 10% of her class. She met her life-long love, Ed Butler, while she was still in school.
Eva was swept away by Ed, who was a WWII veteran and fiddle player of local renown. Their love and marriage lasted more than 65 years, and Ed appreciated Eva as a partner and as his favorite audience. They enjoyed traveling to Ed’s entertainment venues and to fiddle conventions.
While her own young family grew, Eva Mae found it necessary to care for her aging mother. She did so, faithfully, as long as her mother lived. Then, when Eva’s youngest daughter started school, Eva entered the work force.
She was astute and she worked hard. She was employed in retail and grocery stores, in a bank, and finally with the Public Service Company of Oklahoma, as a customer service representative, for 22 years.
Eva was a woman with hidden depths, and it was always interesting to study her.
She spoke in a soft, soothing voice, but she was tough as an old boot.
Eva was careful about her appearance and her household, but never pretentious or flashy. Good taste was hard-coded in her program. Good judgment was, as well.
Whatever she cooked was good to eat.
She had accumulated a long lifetime of experiences. She appreciated the prosperous and peaceful times and good people in her life. She’d experienced enough hardship to ensure that she never took the good times for granted.
Eva was kind-hearted and gentle, but she had zero tolerance of bad language or coarse behavior.
She enjoyed a laugh, and always gave as good as she got.
Eva was generous and considerate of others, but she was alert, shrewd and the last person you’d want to try and take advantage of. She could relate well to people because she genuinely cared about them.
Eva Mae Butler was preceded in death by
Siblings:
Arthur Holland
Opie Holland
Lee Holland
Elmer Holland
Jerry Holland
Ollie Scott
Lois Henderson
And by her daughter:
Teresa Lynn Butler
Eva Mae Butler will be missed by her daughters and their families:
Karen Sue Weiss (husband Mickey)
David Perry (wife Amy)
Austin
Jackson
Cameron
Logan
Christopher Weiss
Kevin Weiss
Eva Nell Novak (husband George)
Judianne Novak
Adam Novak (wife Jessica)
Jameson Austin Novak
Micah Colt Novak
Mack McCoy Novak
Galina Teresa Novak
Nita Jo Farnsworth (husband Ricky)
Amanda Winters (husband Josh)
Brandon
Tayla
Makaylia
Kevin Farnsworth
Services for Eva Mae Butler will be held 2 PM Saturday April 2, 2022 at First Baptist Church in Anters, Oklahoma with interment to follow at Antlers City Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, family and friends who wish to convey their sympathy may do with a donation in Eva Butler’s name to Mays Hospice Care (2200 SE Washington, Idabel, OK 74745) or to the American Cancer Society or the American Heart Association.
Services are under the direction of Serenity Funeral Service in Antlers, Oklahoma.
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