Forrest Lynne Butler

  Forrest Lynne Butler, of the Wamego/Saint George area, died January 1, 2017 at the Topeka VA, Cottonwood CLC Unit. Born September 9th, 1946 in Boston, Massachusetts, he lived in Bangor, Maine, prior to his adoption in 1953 by Paul and Marion Butler of Johnson City, NY, where he grew up in a loving family.   He entered the US Army in May of 1966, and served in Viet Nam shortly in the Signal Corps Unit as a tele-typist. He served in the Army for twenty years, stationed at Fort Sam Houston, Texas; Fort Shafter, Hawaii; Stewart Field, New York; Darmstadt, Germany (Cambrai Frisch Caserne); Fort Riley, Kansas; Ansbach, Germany (Katterbach Caserne); and Fort Riley.   He served ten years in the Signal Corps with Top Secret Clearance and was awarded Commo Chief in 1976. He then served with the First Armor Division and S1/S2 Combat Aviation battalions. He retired in 1986 as a Sergeant First Class. He earned an Associate in General Science from the University of Central Texas. His awards were many, including the Viet Nam Service Medal with two bronze stars, and he was very proud of his service to his country.   He worked as an assistant manager for Bonanza restaurant, Conley, Kight and Boswell mapping firm, and Mercy Regional Health Center in the Engineering and Materials Management departments.   While home on leave in the spring of 1969, Forrest met the love of his life, and they were married later that year. In December 1970 he became the proud father of Richard Butler.     Forrest was a deer hunter, proficient with both rifle and bow. He was a member of the Blue River Archery Club where he quickly rose to president. Forrest loved working on cars and had two special ones, a 1941 Chevy Master Deluxe and a 1970 Chevy Camaro SS which he showed in local car shows. He also enjoy Nascar races, the yearly National Midget races in Belleville, KS and drag racing. He loved discovering new places to visit and enjoyed telling everyone about his adventures as he and his wife RV’d around the US, attending out-of-state Kansas State football.   Forrest is survived by his wife Jessie, Saint George, KS; son Richard, Wamego KS; sister Gaye Donahue, New Orleans LA; brother-in-law Larry Shade (JoAnn), Ashland OH; sister-in-law LuElla Crimmins (Barry Landis) Chenango Forks, NY; a special cousin Vicki Pickett, Johnson City, NY; and several other cousins, nephews, nieces and their families.   Funeral services for Forrest will be at 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 6, 2017 at the Stewart Funeral Home of Wamego with visitation one hour prior to the service. Inurnment will follow at the St. George City Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Topeka VA Recreational Services for the Dementia/Alzheimer’s Units 4-2B & 6-1D, the Humane Society of the United States, or the Saint George United Methodist Church, and may be left in care of Stewart Funeral Home, PO Box 48, 66547, Wamego, KS.