Patricia Lea Butler.... Age 84

Patricia Lea (Baxter) Butler, was born to William H. Baxter and Helen E. (Huss) Baxter on September 3, 1937, in Warren, Minnesota, and went to her heavenly home on Easter Sunday, April 17, 2022, surrounded by love.  Her father passed away before she was five years old after they had moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to be closer to extended family.

Her mother married Stanley O’Berg when Pat was fourteen years old, and he became her second father.  She graduated from Nevada, Missouri, High School and was a graduate of Creighton University.  It was during her schooling at Creighton that she was chosen to be a participant in President Kennedy’s White House Conference on Children and Youth.  She went on to get a Master’s Degree in Social Work from the University of Denver in 1963.  She completed her internship for her Master’s in Social Work at Osawatomie State Hospital.    Upon graduation she went to work for Catholic Charities in St. Louis.

Her parents moved to Osawatomie, Kansas, and it was there she met her future husband.  It took a while for him to convince her to stay in a small town, but after some time, he won her over.   She then returned to Osawatomie State Hospital as a clinical social worker.

She and William (Bill) Butler were married at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church on August 29th, 1964.  They became parents of two girls, Michelle and Kendra, of whom she was most proud.

Always at her husband’s side, she helped with his many businesses, Osawatomie Motors, The Music Store, Montgomery Wards, Radio Shack and the Video Stores.  She was always there to support any and all of her husband’s ventures with gusto.  But her true passion, helping others, was shown through her skills as a Social Worker.

She was the primary social worker at Heritage Manor for several years before moving on to work with Interim Health Care providing home health care throughout the area until her retirement.  Pat was an advocate for all her clients and took great pride in her work.   She was a member of the ECAN Board and had many friends at the association.

But no education or training would prepare her for the most important and rewarding role she would have in her lifetime, that of being a Mom to Michelle and Kendra.  She loved her two girls with abandon, and always encouraged their interests and supported each of their endeavors.  If there was a game, performance or need, their Mom was there.   She was their first friend, the best reader of books (complete with special voices), Brownie Scout Leader, room mother, an expert at picking out prom and wedding dresses, sewing curtains for first homes or helping clean each home to be move in ready.  She gave the most helpful advice and was always up for a good shopping excursion.

Over the years, Pat was involved in many different organizations:  Miami County Republican Party of which she was a long-time precinct committeewoman; Kansas Republican Women; Delta Epsilon; Osawatomie Pride; Osawatomie Chamber of Commerce; Friends of the Library Board; and Osawatomie Tourism.  She was a longtime parishioner of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church and devoutly practiced her Catholic faith daily.  She also enjoyed cross word puzzles, visiting family members, reading her books from the library and cheering on her beloved Kansas Jayhawks basketball team.  She was so happy to see the Jayhawks win another National Championship and always spoke with fondness of going to see the Jayhawks play in Allen Fieldhouse, something she had always wanted to do.

One of her favorite times of the year was March Madness, in which she had an uncanny ability to pick just the right teams in her bracket.  She thoroughly treasured each and every holiday season - Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, 4 ^th of July and Halloween.  But she especially loved the Christmas season, when she would decorate the house for friends and family to enjoy.  She passed on that joy and magic of Christmas to both of her daughters.

She was thankful to have been able to travel with her husband and friends in their retirement and she especially enjoyed her Friday lunches with ‘the girls.’

She is preceded in death by her father William Baxter, her mother Helen Huss Baxter O’Berg, her second father, Stanley O’Berg, her in-laws William R. Butler, Sr. and Augusta Butler, her sister-in-law Margaret Baxter, and her niece Mary Margaret Baxter.  Pat leaves behind her husband of 57 years William (Bill), her beloved daughters Michelle Butler (husband and ‘her only son’, Tyler Johnson), Topeka, Kansas, and Kendra Butler, Olathe, Kansas, her brother Ronald Baxter, her nephews Patrick Baxter and Scott Baxter, Omaha, Nebraska, and nephew Father Gregory Baxter, Gretna, Nebraska.

An extra special thanks goes to her caregivers for their love and attention over the last couple of years.  Always know that she and we appreciate you more than you know.

In lieu of flowers, Pat’s wish was for contributions be made to St. Philip Neri Catholic Church or the Osawatomie Public Library who always provided books for both her and Bill.