Freestone County, Texas Obituaries San Antonio Express-News April 7, 1992; Page: 8B Deceased Name: The Rev. William Allen Butler: Butler, 94, served as minister 63 years STOCKDALE The Rev. William Allen Butler was a Baptist minister for 63 years. He founded and built his last church, Annaville Baptist, near Corpus Christi in 1957. Even after retiring in 1964, he continued converting people to Christianity as long as he lived. Butler died Saturday in a San Antonio hospital after being ill the past month. He was 94. Born in Teague in Freestone County, he attended schools in Centerville and Athens through the eighth grade. Butler drove a school bus for several years. He married Eunice Chandler, his childhood sweetheart, Oct. 30, 1919, in Centerville in the home of her parents. They had three children. Family graduation Butler continued his education at night. When their son graduated from high school in Centerville, both parents also graduated. The three of them went onstage together to get their diplomas. Butler was a roughneck for several years during the oil boom. Around 1927 he felt a call to the ministry. He referred to this change in his life as giving up the oil fields for the pulpit. Butler took religious studies at the University of Corpus Christi and began preaching in Centerville in 1929. He later preached at churches in Port Arthur, Stockdale at First Baptist, Hebbronville, Ingleside, and Calallen. He founded the Annaville Church in 1957 and retired in 1964 after a massive heart attack. However, he continued as interim pastor until age 81 when he underwent open heart surgery. His wife died Jan. 30, 1979. He married Mae O'Neall on Sept. 5, 1981, in Stockdale. A year after their marriage, he underwent quadruple bypass surgery at age 83 and recovered. His wife died in July 1986. Dedicated to God "He was the kindest man," said his granddaughter Roxanna Avants of San Antonio. "He was dedicated to God, his community, to serving people and in leading lost souls to Christ every chance he got. "He was a great Bible student and noted dates in the margin of his Bible for the year each chapter was written. My grandfather was very intelligent and told so many interesting stories. He completed his autobiography a short while ago and it will be put into book form." Additional survivors are a daughter, Bobbie N. Bennett of San Antonio; a foster daughter, Linda Hicks of Houston; a brother, Arnold Butler of Ben Wheeler; a sister, Loal McCaffity of Canton; four grandchildren; and four great- grandchildren. Services will be at 2 p.m. Tuesday in First Baptist Church in Stockdale. Burial in Stockdale Cemetery will be arranged by Myers Funeral Home.