- Date Of Birth: August 4, 1928
- Date Of Death: January 25, 2020
- State: Florida
Romayne Butler entered into heaven on January 25, 2020. Romayne was born on August 4, 1928 in Dade City, Florida to Madelyn (Big Momma) and Robert Butler (Dear Bob). The second of the three amazing Butler girls – along with older sister Joan and younger sister Roberta. She always jokingly complained of being the middle child! Romayne grew up in idyllic rural small town Florida – a youth spent playing with her sisters and friends – in the surrounding orange groves and swimming in nearby spring fed lakes. Romayne attended Pasco High School, where she was voted “Most Beautiful Girl” by her senior classmates. In high school Romayne developed a love for art, design, fashion and the theater – leading to her attending Stratford College for Women in Danville, Va where she studied Fashion Design. She participated in school plays and made beautiful drawings of dresses she would later design. In 1946 she graduated from Stratford. On a return trip back to Dade City, she met James (Jim) Selby McCabe – a dashing pilot in the Army Air Corps from the nearby town of San Antonio. James and Romayne were married in 1948 in Dade City and were married for 49 years until his death in 1997. She served by his side throughout his military career. During their military career, the young couple would start a family and travel the world. As a young couple they were stationed in North Africa, England and many parts of the U.S. including Utah, Alabama, and Florida. Romayne and Jim went on to have six children. Throughout her life Romayne perused many professional avenues and worked as a teacher in the Head Start program, owned a gift shop, We Three, later worked in real estate and interior design.
Romayne was a wife, mother, sister, aunt, grandmother, and “purple grandma” to her great-grandchildren. Romayne was blessed with many friends because she was such a great friend to others. She was a woman of God who loved the Lord with all her heart. Daily she read the word of God and that was the path she used to guide her life. She would want you to know that God loves you and has a plan for your life and that you cross the bridge into God’s family when you accept Christ’s free salvation. The Bible says, “But as many as received Him, to them he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12 “ Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord will be saved” Romans 10:13. Her life and the legacy she leaves is one full of unconditional love, grace, warmth, generosity, forgiveness and a wonderful caring spirit. She loved her family and loved each one of us so well. Romayne will be missed by so many, but her legacy will live on as we all strive to be more like her. Heaven gained an angel and we are all so blessed to have known and been loved by her.
Romayne loved family and is survived by her six children, John H McCabe (Patsy), Robert K McCabe, Caroline Denise Kirk, James K McCabe, Richard B McCabe, and Shawn E Valletto (Charlie). Her ten grandchildren, Stephanie Cagle (Cody), Richard Parsons, Ashley Shelby (Matt), Jonathan McCabe, Trey Lewis, Meghan Larson (Jerry), Lauren Matthews, and Nick and John Valletto, and Katherine Bulkeley; six great-grandchildren Kaitlyn Nicholson, Blakely and Jackson McCabe, Sloan and Savannah Shelby, Kirsten Larson, and sister Joan Butler Ruggles.
The family would like to thank her doctors for their years of love and care. Dr. Tom Tan, Dr. Nicholas Drake, and especially Dr’s Karen Pennington, James Fleischhauer, and Lori Cornwell. Your tireless availability to us and going above and beyond for our mother is greatly appreciated. Her nurses Vivian, Kim, Meghan, Maria, and Amanda with Covenant. A special thank you Linda, for your love and care until the end.
