George Reid Butler passed away on September 13, 2019 at his home in Lakeview Village, Lenexa, KS.  A celebration of life service will be held at 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 21 at Leawood United Methodist Church, 2915 West 95th Street, Leawood, KS.

He was born September 30, 1931 in Lexington, Missouri to George and Lillian Butler. Reid, as he was known to his family, grew up on a farm in Jackson County, Missouri where he attended a one-room school.  He graduated from Grain Valley, MO, High School and served in the Air Force from 1951-1954 as a staff sergeant specializing in cryptographics.

George received a B.S. in Business Administration from Central Missouri State College in 1956 and a M.A. in Education from UMKC in 1962.  In 1957, George married Margaret Cranfill and started working for IBM Corporation.  During his tenure at IBM, he held multiple operations and management roles in Chicago and Kansas City retiring in 1990.  His expertise in finance and business served him well at IBM and in his multiple volunteer roles at Leawood Methodist and as a tax-aide for the IRS.

Traveling and visiting family around the country were two of his favorite pastimes.  One of his early goals was to see that his children had the opportunity to visit as many states as possible.  The family spent vacations traveling to the 48 contiguous states, Canada and Mexico, most often pulling a camper behind a Pontiac station wagon.  After retirement, Reid and Margaret traveled extensively and made many visits to support their children and grandchildren in six states.

Reid was preceded in death by his parents and four brothers, Harold, Carl, R.W. and Gene.   

George is survived by his wife Margaret and their children, Joan and husband Tom, Julia and husband Mark, Paul, Mark and wife Lisa, Martha and husband Sinclair, 17 grandchildren, 7 great-grandchildren and 11 nieces and nephews. 

Memorial donations may be made to Leawood United Methodist Church.