Gladys Jacqueline Williams Butler, known as Jackie to her
friends, was born in Minersville, Pennsylvania on March 16, 1919
to Edward H. Williams III and Gladys House Williams. (See Family Tree,) She was the third of four children;
her brothers and sisters are Edward, Jean and C. Richard. When
Jackie was about two the family moved to Woodstock Vermont where
the Williams family has lived for many generations.
She graduated from Woodstock High School in 1937 and attended
Marot Junior College in Thompson Connecticut and the Bank Street
College for teachers in New York City. It was in New York that
she met Sewall T. Butler (See Family
biography.) They were married in Woodstock, Vermont on July
26, 1943. (See Wedding photos)
After the war they lived in several places including Albuquerque,
NM, Castine Maine, Goshen, Ledyard and Meriden Connecticut and
finally settled in the Butler/Savage homestead
on Main Street in Cromwell Connecticut.
Besides being the mother of five children, Jackie was active
in the Church of the Holy Trinity of Middletown Connecticut.
where she was a founding member of the Couples Club and the House
of Many Talents. She taught sunday school classes in Goshen,
Meriden and Middletown. In Cromwell she was a member of the Historical
Society, the Home club and the Garden club serving in several
offices including the presidency. During the 1960s she worked
as a substitute teacher for the Cromwell school system.
She had several notable hobbies. Her talents as an artist can
be seen at The Artwork of Jacqueline Williams
Butler. She loved music boxes and had several beautiful models
including a small swiss chalet, an acrylic piano, and one that
played tiny record-like disks. She also had her "miniatures
collection" which included many fascinating smaller than
life objects, including a violin that she whittled, stained and
assembled. Jackie also loved quilting, gardening and growing
African violets.
Jackie had the chance to make several interesting trips. In 1972
she visited the American Farm School in Thessaloniki Greece which
her Grandfather John Henry House had founded in the early 1900's.
About 1980 she went to Oberammergau Germany to see the famous
Passion play. Because of her husband's love of travel and motorhomes
she got to visit just about every state, including a trip (minus
trailer) to Oahu and Kauai, Hawaii.
She loved her family, kittens, flowers (often given the generic
name of posies), the color pink in any shade and chocolate in
any form.
Jackie died in her own home in the early morning hours of July
17, 1998. She is survived by her husband, Sewall, her five children
and many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.