- Date Of Birth: June 25, 1924
- Date Of Death: November 8, 2013
- State: Ohio
Charles “Bill” William Butler, age 89, of Salem, died Friday morning, November 8, 2013 at the Clare Bridge in Austintown where he was well cared for during his 4 years there. He was born June 25, 1924 in Niles, Ohio, the son of the late Charles Raymond Butler and Lusada Owen Butler. Bill graduated from Niles High School in 1942 then eagerly enlisted in the U.S. Navy with written permission from his father, where he served for four-years. He went to naval pilot training and was initially assigned as a dive-bomber flying the Douglas SBD Dauntless. As a Lieutenant JG, he also trained as a fighter-bomber pilot in Grumman F4F Hellcats and 4FU Corsairs flying off the aircraft carrier, the USS Yorktown in the Pacific during WWII. Bill attended Denison University in Granville, Ohio, after his four-year naval tour and continued in the U.S. Navy Reserves for 14 years before his honorable discharge on June 17, 1959. He worked for Salem Engineering for a brief period before moving to Norwalk, Ohio to work with the 3M Company. Bill moved to Salem, Ohio in the mid-fifties after the death of his father-in-law, Sam Keener and bought out the promising trailer park business. He owned, operated and successfully ran the Suburban Trailer Park and Sales in Niles, Ohio nearly 18 years before selling it and retiring in the early 70’s. In his retirement, Bill enjoyed flying numerous general aviation aircraft include; the American Champion Citabria, Piper Cherokee Archer, T-tail Bonanza, and Piper Cherokee Six, plus way more automobiles than we probably knew about or can list here. He also loved spending time golfing and fixing his jet boat at his vacation home in Keowee Key, South Carolina and visiting with his two children and their families in Georgia and Maryland. Bill was married in the First Presbyterian Church in Salem and remained a devoted member throughout his lifetime. He was also a lifetime member of the Salem Golf Club. An infant son, Christopher Keener Butler; and two sisters, Betty Lou (Leroy) Cramer and Blanche (Robert) Butler Lloyd preceded him in death. His beloved wife of 64 years, Patricia (Keener) Butler, whom he married June 25, 1949, survives him along with a son, Jeffrey (Carolyn) William Butler of Suwanee, Georgia; a daughter, Amy (Donald) Butler Koranda of Germantown, Maryland; six grandchildren to whom he was devoted including: Christopher (Kathleen) William Koranda of Menlo Park, California; Matthew (Jennifer) Butler Koranda of Newport Beach, California; Michael Patrick Koranda of Los Angeles, California; Julia McDaris of Paris, France, Maggie McDaris of London, England and William Harris Butler of Norfolk, Virginia; two great-granddaughters; two nieces; and a nephew.
