Paula Suzanne Butler-Reese Obituary
Paula Suzanne Butler-Reese of Alamogordo, New Mexico passed away in El Paso July 30, 2024. She was born February 8, 1943 in Ranger Texas to Clara and Kenneth Butler. Clara was rumored to be the first working pregnant woman in Eastland history while Kenneth was deployed in the Army. Suzanne met Harold Reese in college and they were married in Eastland June 8, 1963. After graduation the couple moved to La Junta, Colorado where Harold planned to work at a low income school until he paid off his college loans and then return to Texas in five years. They made La Junta their home for thirty years, Harold as a Principal while Suzanne substitute taught, worked as Swink School Secretary, La Junta Junior High secretary and bookkeeper. They were active members in La Junta Church of Christ; Suzanne taught, created a program called Juniors for Jesus, and coached teams for Bible Bowl.
Upon retirement, they moved to Cisco, joined the Church of Christ and remained active travelers. Suzanne accompanied Harold on his Park Ranger adventures, working for Deadwood Central Railroad in South Dakota and at the Lyndon B. Johnson State Park & Historic Site in Johnson City. No matter where vacations or retirement found them traveling, they always recalled their roots, as Harold lovingly referred to her as his yellow rose of Texas.
Suzanne was a soft-spoken woman, aside from the occasional megaphone at her daughters' weddings. She will be fondly remembered as a Christian sister, wife, mother, aunt, grandmother, great grandmother, and friend to many. She was preceded in death by her parents Kenneth and Clara Butler, husband of 53 years, Harold, and sister-in-law Barbara Stancil. She is survived by daughters Kathleen Hodge of Meridian, Idaho and Laura O'Connell and husband Thomas of Alamogordo, New Mexico; sister Sherry Loeb and husband Michael of Cypress. Brothers-in-law: Lyndel Reese and wife Veta of Odessa, and James Reese and wife Jackie of Abilene. Grandson John Hodge and wife Emily and great granddaughters Dorothy Jane, Charlie Suzanne, and Parker Nicole of Boise, Idaho, as well as several cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Burial will be held at Scranton Cemetery August 9th at 10 a.m. Funeral service will follow at 11 a.m at Kimbrough-Jacobs Funeral Home, with lunch following the service at Cisco Church of Christ. In lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations/gifts be made to Lake Cisco Christian Camp, PO Box 629, Cisco, TX, 76437, or at the donation link below..
