Butts, Jean Shepherd
Jean Shepherd Butts, formerly of Medford, Oregon, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, June 1, 2010, at the age of 86, in Wenatchee, Wash.
She was born in Buckeye, Ariz., January 27, 1924, to Niles Benson and Faye Brown Carter. She was raised by her father Niles and step-mother, Evelyn, in Arizona.
Jean graduated from Arizona State College (now Arizona State University) with a Bachelor of Arts in English education. She was the editor of the college newspaper The State Press, and a member of the Phi Beta Epsilon sorority.
Jean married Charles Shepherd in 1945, and the couple moved to Medford where she taught English and Physical Education at McLoughlin Junior High for over 20 years and raised a family.
In 1982, Jean married Don Butts, also of Medford. They were members of Rogue Valley Country Club and enjoyed golf, traveling and playing bridge.
Jean is survived by her children, Craig (Dennis) Shepherd, of Buffalo, N.Y., Susan (Pete) Shepherd Romano, of Quincy, Wash., and Nancy (Tom) Shepherd Smythe. of West Linn, Ore.; Don's children, Dennis (Shirley) Butts, of Sisters, Ore., and Diana (Steve) Parsons, of Canby, Ore.; as well as several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, Don.
Private family gathering will be held in West Linn, Ore. on June 26, 2010, and a memorial gathering will be held at 1:00 p.m., June 27, 2010, at Hawthorne Gardens, Grants Pass, Ore. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Medford Schools Foundation, PO Box 1126, Medford, OR, 97501.
Published in the Mail Tribune on 6/20/2010