Barbara Jane Reeve Butler

Barbara Jane Reeve Butler was born Oct 1, 1920 in Ogden, UT.  She departed this life in the early morning hours of June 14, 2018, at the age of 97, with her family at her side. In her life she served lovingly in all her roles as daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother and friend.
    She was the youngest of three children born to John William Reeve of Ogden, UT, and Geneve Carpenter Smith of Logan, UT. Her brothers William S Reeve and John O Reeve preceded her in death. She was also preceded in death by her husband, Max, both of her parents, Step-father (whom she loved dearly) Clarence Newell Woods, and two grandchildren, Kyle Blatter and Amy Blatter Munn.    
She met David Maxwell Butler of Snowflake, AZ while they were attending BYU. They shared a love of learning and music. Max's violin playing won her heart. They were married in the Salt Lake Temple just before he left to serve in WWII. They became the parents of Reeve Butler (Debbie), Jonathan Butler, Alison Barber (Reed) and David Butler (Barbara). She was a loving grandmother of 18 grandchildren and 53 great-grandchildren. She found joy in remembering all her descendants on their birthdays as well as other special days in their lives.
    She loved sharing her home with her family for holiday dinners, special events and especially the 4th of July parade which passed directly in front of her Centerville home.
    She was grateful to have been born to faithful Latter-Day Saint parents. Her father passed away when she was only two-years-old, leaving a great void in her life. Her mother, Geneve, heroically filled the void, finding full time work with the IRS and raising her three children on her own. Years later her mother met and, after much persuasion, married Clarence Newell Woods, who became a beloved step-father/mentor to our mom and her brothers and Grandpa to all of their children.
    The early death of her husband, Max, on April 28,1961 left her a single mother. Much like the experience of her own mother, mom went to work to continue raising her four children. She felt fortunate to have already earned her BA at BYU and through hard work and persistence finished her MA at the U of U. She was able to teach English to numerous students at both Bountiful and Viewmont High Schools. She was often contacted by former students after she retired.
Mom was well taught in the gospel by her mother, relatives and teachers. She absorbed and embraced it fully in her life.  After retirement she served missions in Honduras, Hawaii and New Mexico. She then served for many years as a temple worker in the Salt Lake and Bountiful Temples as well as spending five years working with inmates at the Davis County Youth Center (jail) in Farmington, UT. She made many friends through her temple work, her membership in BYU's Val Norn social unit, and her life-long membership at various gyms in Davis County. She continued her gym workouts and temple worship until about a week before she passed away.
    She loved her travels to China, Mexico, Tahiti, Russia, Israel, Europe, and Finland (to name a few), but her greatest love was the time she spent with her large extended family and her Church service.
    The family expresses sincere gratitude to Joan Brady who became mom's live-in caregiver for the last 18 months of her life. Mom remained as independent as possible, but Joan was there whenever she was needed with her loving, patient and untiring care. We love you, Joan!
    In honor of Mom's simple, humble wishes there will be a viewing at Russon Mortuary, 295 N Main, Bountiful, Utah on Wednesday June 20th from 6-8 p.m., and a graveside service at the Centerville Cemetery, on Thursday, June 21st at 11:00 a.m. All are invited to attend.