James Edward Butler was buried at Riverside National Cemetery on Aug. 29, 2013, with full military honors.

Mr. Butler, a long-time Barstow Calif. resident, passed away on Aug. 20, 2013, in Whittier, Calif., just two weeks shy of his 86th birthday.

He was born in Lincoln County to Maloy Franklin Butler and Allie Lee Pennington Butler on Sept. 3, 1927.

He attended Lincoln County schools and graduated in 1945. He joined the United States Marine Corps that same year and made it his career. His first duty station was at Headquarters Marine Corps in Washington, D.C., where he met and married Jean E. Speiden in May of 1948.

After 23 years of service to his country, including deployments during the U.S. conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, he retired from the military. He was then employed for 20 years at the Goldstone Tracking Station near Barstow. During his retirement, he enjoyed his favorite hobby, which was woodworking and furniture making, as well as an interest in genealogy, which led him to go on the trip of a lifetime to Ireland for his 50th wedding anniversary. But his favorite pastime, above all else, was spoiling his grandchildren and spending time with his family.

He will be greatly missed by all who knew him, and his passing leaves a huge void in his family, who will “Love His Heart Forever.”

He was preceded in death by his parents; his sisters, Dorothy, Kathleen, Sally and Carrie; and his brother, Jack.

He is survived by his wife of more than 65 years, Jean; his four daughters, Carol Jensen (Dale), of Barstow, Teresa Trimble (Mike), of Ashland, Ore., Cheryl Friday, of Santa Maria, Calif. and Lori Butler, of Sacramento, Calif. He also leaves behind four grandchildren; Katharine and Michael Jensen, and Allison and Melissa Friday; and a great-grandson, Ethan James Friday Hernandez, all of California. His brother, Malcolm Butler, of Brookhaven, is his only surviving sibling.