Dennis K. Butner, 87, of Huntsville, passed away at his home Monday, March 6. He grew up in Carbondale and Topeka, KS. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force following high school and served his country before being honorably discharged in 1952. He married his wife of 48 years, Mary Jane Davis Butner in 1956. Dennis attended Kansas State University, graduating with a BS in Electrical Engineering in 1958. He moved to Huntsville in 1963, and spent most of his career in the Aerospace industry with Boeing in Wichita, KS and in Huntsville. Dennis worked on projects ranging from the B-52 bombers to the Gemini and Apollo missions, to SkyLab and the Space Shuttle program. He supervised testing and recommissioning of the Shuttle boosters following the Challenger disaster in 1986, and the early designs of the International Space Station. Dennis retired from Boeing in 1992 after nearly 33 years of service. His passions were golf, playing bridge, and spending time with his grandchildren.
He is survived by his companion, Ann Johnson, of Huntsville; daughter, Janella Denys Butner of Huntsville; son, Russell Edward Butner (Alyce) of Atlanta, GA; and grandchildren, Daniele Kalene Butner of Huntsville, Davis Samuel Butner and Zachary Edward Butner of Atlanta, GA; and sister-in-law, Judith Ann Sheperd (Graydon) of Fort Meyers, FL.
Visitation will be held at the Laughlin Service Funeral Home on Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m., followed by the funeral service at 2 p.m. at Laughlin Chapel. Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Aldersgate United Methodist Church, the Alzheimer’s Association Mid-South Chapter, or Kansas State University Foundation Engineering Scholarship Fund.
