Barbara was born on the 15th of January 1928 in Little Rock, Arkansas. After living in the Dallas-Fort Worth area for a few years, her father was transferred to the St. Louis area where she lived through high school. Barbara attended the University of Michigan from which she graduated with a degree in political science in 1949. She then continued her education at the University of Michigan Law School and obtained a law degree in 1952. She was licensed to practice law in Texas for over 30 years.
While an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, she went on a blind date with a medical student, James Butler, and the rest, as they say, is history. They married on the 15th of June 1952. Over the next eight years, she and Jim lived in Iowa City, Cincinnati, Houston, and Washington, D.C. as he continued his medical training. After a brief stay in Lynchburg, Virginia, they moved to Houston for good in January of 1962, where Jim worked as a pathologist at M.D. Anderson for over three decades. They shared many common interests including classical music, Asian and southwestern art, dancing, and reading together. They enjoyed nearly 52 wonderful years of marriage before Jim’s death in 2004. They were truly a team, as anyone who saw them on the dance floor can attest.
A strong believer in the community, Barbara was a volunteer for the Friends of the Houston Public Library Book Sale for 35 years and served in many leadership positions in the organization during that time. She also volunteered for many years at M.D. Anderson.
Barbara is survived by her two children – Katherine (Don Sanders), a lawyer in Houston, and James (Yun), a hydrologist in Lawrence, KS, her sister Louise Crosby of Webster Groves, MO, and three grandchildren (William (Denver), Sanders (Minneapolis), and Mei (San Antonio)). Her children remember her passion for family, art, politics, and song. Her rendition of Nat King Cole’s Unforgettable is a cherished memory.
In lieu of the customary remembrances, contributions can be made in her memory to the Houston Food Bank and the National Parks and Conservation Association. A celebration of her life will be announced at a later date.
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