Dolores Ann Butler

         Dolores Ann Butler died peacefully in her home on January 30, 2019.  She was 90 years old.  Dolores was a community leader, a successful businessperson, and a loyal friend.  But most of all, Dolores was the best mother anyone could have asked for.  She was a devoted grandmother who cared for her grandchildren like a second mom.  She was a protective sister, a dutiful aunt, and a fun-loving cousin.  To Dolores, family was everything.
         Dolores was born on December 6, 1928 in Three Rivers, Texas to E.W. and Ruby Hayek.  Dolores and her brother Charles were raised on family farms, first in Three Rivers and then in Corpus Christi.  Dolores loved to tell stories about growing up with her large extended family in Corpus Christi in the 1930s and 40s.  Dolores and her friends and cousins had countless sleepovers and were regulars at the USO dances for the World War II service people.
            Dolores was an ace student.  She loved the Aberdeen School she and her brother attended and skipped several grades.  In 1944, she graduated from Incarnate Word Academy when she was 15 years old.  The nuns loved Dolores.
Dolores’s first job was as a bookkeeper at the Naval Air Station during World War II.  She also worked for the Chicago Corporation.
After the war, Dolores took a job in the business office at Del Mar College.  This is where she met the man who would become the love of her life, William Floyd “Bill” Butler.  Bill had moved to Corpus Christi to play football and basketball for Del Mar.  The small but mighty Dolores captured the heart of the giant but goofy Bill—this 5’3” girl and 6’6” boy made quite the pair.  They were engaged in 1949 and married on June 2, 1951.  Bill and Dolores had three beautiful children.
In 1954, after Bill returned from the Korean War, he, Dolores, and Dolores’s brother and sister-in-law, Charles and Irene Hayek, opened Portland Lumber and Supply.  Bill and Dolores built a house and started their family in Portland, where they raised their children and made lifelong friends.  Dolores was an active PTA mom.  Her family was heavily involved in the building and establishment of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church, at one point serving as director of religious education.  The Butler family vacationed every summer at Camp Landa in New Braunfels; those were some of the family’s greatest memories.
              After Hurricane Celia, Dolores began working full time at the lumber yard.  When Bill died in 1986, Dolores took over as President of Portland Lumber and ran the company until it closed in 1994.  During that time, she was an active participant in the Portland business community and Texas lumber industry.  She was active with the Portland Chamber of Commerce.  She sat on the Portland State Bank Advisory Board and was a director of the Texas State Lumberman’s Association.
             After retiring from the business world, Dolores kept serving her community.  She was elected to the Portland City Council in 1995 and served as a councilmember until 2003.  She served as Mayor Pro Tem from 1997-1999.  Dolores also volunteered with the San Patricio County Adult Literacy Council, the Area Agency on Aging, and the Senior Services Advisory Board.  Most recently, Dolores volunteered with Our Lady of Mount Carmel’s Works of Charity ministry.  She found great fulfillment helping struggling families in Portland get back on their feet.
Dolores was preceded in death by her husband Bill, her parents, E.W. and Ruby Hayek, and her brother, Charles Hayek.  She is survived by her children, Debbie (Tommy) Kemp, Judy Butler, and Kurt (Leasa) Butler; her grandchildren, Megan Kemp (Jake Witherspoon), Kyle (Michelle) Kemp, Kevin (Timea) Kemp, and Taylor Butler; her great-grandchildren, Ella and Teddy Witherspoon and Levi Kemp; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Her family can never thank enough the solid support and love that she’s received from so many friends, extended family, and health care providers including Harbor Hospice.
               A rosary will be said for Dolores on Monday, February 4, 2019, at 7:00 p.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Portland.  Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 p.m., before the rosary.  A funeral mass will be said for Dolores on Tuesday, February 5, 2019, at 11:00 a.m. at Our Lady of Mount Carmel, with burial following the funeral at Palms Memorial Gardens.
Del Mar College always held a special place in Dolores’s heart because that is where she met her beloved husband, Bill.  In lieu of flowers, donations in her name can be made to the Del Mar College Foundation for scholarships.  Please mail to 101 Baldwin Blvd, Corpus Christi, Texas 78404.

Pallbearers will be:
 Kyle Kemp,  Kevin Kemp, Jake Witherspoon,  Gary Hayek, Ronnie Hayek, Doug Hayek

 Honorary Pallbearers will be:
 David Hayek,  Evert Keller