Leo Edison Butter (1908 - 1958)

Born 7 Dec 1908 in Forest Hill, Rapides, Louisiana, United States

Ancestors

Died 10 Sep 1958 at age 49 in Longview, Gregg, Texas, United States

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Biography

Leo was born on 7 December 1908 the son of Henry Robert Butter and Lavinia Matilda Dunn. Leo should have appeared on the 1910 census with his parents and siblings in Spring Hill (now Forest Hill) Rapides Parish, Louisiana. All of the family were on the bottom of a page and Leo should have been the top line of the following page but he was omitted by the census taker. Since the family was skipped entirely in 1920, he never appears on the census record in the home of his parents.

In 1927 Leo is listed in the yearbook for Chillicothe Business College, Chillicothe, Missouri. ^[1]

Leo married Billie Mae Potts on 17 September 1932 in Marietta, Love County, Oklahoma. Leo and Billie had three children and lived in Longview, Gregg County, Texas.

Leo had been ill as a child and it was later discovered that he had childhood Tuberculosis which damaged his lungs. Nevertheless, he studied hard and pursued more education in business. He opened a plumbing supply company in Longview, Texas which expanded in the following years to another one in Dallas, Texas and finally to several more throughout the state. When Leo died his son was already trained and stepped in to run the businesses. The legacy continued when Leo's grandsons assumed them for a number of years before selling all of the locations and then pursuing their own occupations.

Like all of his siblings, Leo loved his family and was always anxious to have everyone meet for reunions. He and Billie hosted his six siblings, their spouses and children on several occasions. Leo was very proud of a ranch he bought in East Texas and it was the scene of one of the reunions. He proudly showed off his Santa Gertrudis cattle from the King Ranch in South Texas. They also kept the University of Texas Longhorns mascot, Bebo, when school was not in session.

Leo and Billie Butter are enumerated in the 1940 census living in Longview, Texas. Also in the household is their young son and Billie's father, Steve Potts. They lived in the same house in 1935 and Leo's occupation is wholesale plumbing supplies. He actually owns the company. ^[2]

He passed away in 1958.^[3] Billie passed away in 1974. They are both buried at Memorial Park Cemetery, Longview, Texas. ^[4]

Sources

1. ↑ "U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012"; School Name: Chillicothe Business College; Year: 1927. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1900-1999 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.
2. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KWVR-2T8 : 29 July 2019), Leo Butter, Longview, Justice Precinct 1, Gregg, Texas, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 92-1, sheet 5A, line 35, family 114, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4045.
3. ↑ Death "Texas Deaths, 1890-1976," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K3ZL-HTT : 13 March 2018), Leo Edison Butter, 10 Sep 1958; citing certificate number 50611, State Registrar Office, Austin; FHL microfilm 2,115,591.
4. ↑ Burial Find a Grave, database and images Find A Grave: Memorial #12646515 memorial page for Leo Edison Butter (7 Dec 1908–10 Sep 1958) citing Memory Park Cemetery, Longview, Harrison County, Texas, USA