BUTTRAM, Barry Howard

Barry Howard Buttram, age 79, of Jonesboro, went home to his Savior on Saturday, August

29th at his home after a long battle with Parkinson’s Disease.

Barry was preceded in death by his parents J.T. Buttram and

Mildred Mullinax Berry; his brother, Douglas Buttram; and his sister, Betty Douglas. Barry is survived by his wife of 40 years, Jean, his brothers,

Gerald (Barbara) and Dennis

(Linda) Buttram; his sister Linda Cochran; his sons, Michael and Matthew (Aimee) Buttram; his daughter Sarah Brock (Alan); and his granddaughter, Adelaide Jane Buttram-DuPont.

He was born March 1, 1941 in Cedartown and raised in Marietta. Barry graduated from Osborne High School, where he gained prominence for scoring the first touchdown in the school’s history. He later graduated from Georgia State University where he earned a Bachelor of Business Administration in Finance and was elected President of the GSU chapter of Alpha Kappa Psi. Barry served in the U.S. Army in the Vietnam War as a Signal Corps Officer with the 4th Infantry Division in the Central Highlands of Vietnam during successive Tet Offensives.

After returning home, he worked for several years as a recruiting manager for Delta Airlines, and later as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch and leasing manager within the trucking industry. The culmination of his comprehensive professional career was as Managing Broker for the Coldwell Banker office in Henry County, where his skilled mentorship helped develop countless successful agents and where he was selected as Managing Broker of the Year by the Metro South Association of Realtors. In retirement, he was a voracious reader of history and military science, and enjoyed traveling extensively with his family. Among his favorite destinations were America’s National Parks, wild and beautiful Alaska, and the natural wonders of Canada. He nurtured a lifelong love of planes and trains, and was never known to pass up an opportunity to visit a lighthouse, battlefield, or fort. Barry brought history to life for his children and gifted them with his deep reverence for the stories of the past. In the narrative of his own life, he was a man who always chose the scenic route.

He is a member of Eagles Landing First Baptist, and formerly a long-time member of First Baptist Church Jonesboro where he was actively involved in children’s and youth ministry in addition to holding recurring roles in church dramatic productions.

Barry will be remembered by all who loved him as a charismatic, gentle person with an infectious smile. Beloved by children and animals alike, he was a nurturing, kind man who could cheer anyone up with a good joke. In the final years of his life Barry never allowed his debilitating disease to compromise his integrity or spirit. He retained his kindness and singular sense of humor to the end. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him.

Friends will be received from 4 to 6 p.m. Thursday Sept. 3, 2020 at Ford-Stewart Funeral Home, 2047 Highway 138 S.E., where a memorial service will follow at 6 p.m. Interment will be held at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 4, 2020, at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton in a ceremony for immediate family.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to The Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research at www.michaeljfox.org/donate, or Sacred Journey Hospice at www.sacredjourneyhospice.com/the-foundation. Ford-Stewart Funeral Home, Inc., Jonesboro/Stockbridge 770210-2700. www.fordstewartfuneralhome.com