DeLoris "Dee" Eileen (Gunsaulus) Butler

DeLoris “Dee” Eileen Gunsaulus Butler, the daughter of Frank and Pearl Gunsaulus, was born at home in Newton, Iowa on September 5, 1929. Dee attended Newton Schools, graduating in 1948. During high school, she worked part-time at Westwood Press, and after graduation, she worked as an operator for United Telephone Company.

In early 1950, while sitting with girlfriends in the soda fountain at Smith Drugs, Dee caught the eye – and fancy – of Keith Butler. Keith tracked her down through a mutual friend and the group went dancing that night at Marty’s outside of Mitchellville, Iowa. More dates followed and on October 13, 1950 (a Friday!), Dee and Keith were married at the Little Brown Church in the Vale in Nashua, Iowa.

A date which will live in infamy – FDR and Keith Butler

Dee and Keith were devoted to one another, preferring each other’s company to all others.  Whether attending jazz clubs like The Blue Note in Chicago, dancing at the Val-Air Ballroom, hiking in Colorado, flyfishing in the Madison River, attending the annual Experimental Aircraft Association show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, Dee loved being with Keith. Together, they returned each year to their favorite place – West Yellowstone, Montana. Once content to sit on the riverbank reading while Keith flyfished for trout, Dee eventually got her own waders and flyrod and became a skilled angler in her own right.

For more than 20 years, Dee was a stay-at-home mother, devoted to raising her three children with Keith – Terri, Jill and Brian. She returned to work in 1974 as a bookkeeper at Maples Chevrolet in Newton, retiring in 1991. After retirement, Dee continued to travel with Keith and greatly enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren and friends. Family was always first with Dee, with friends a close second.

In 1953, she was a founding member of the Mother’s Night Out (MNO) Club – starting with about a dozen friends who met once a month on Thursday nights taking turns hosting in each other’s homes. These extraordinary friendships lasted a lifetime.

Dee was involved in the early Head Start program, taught preschool Sunday School at the First United Methodist Church, worked the local voting polls for many years and sold U.S. Savings Bond stamps at Aurora Heights Elementary School.

Dee died at MercyOne Medical Center in Newton on January 4, 2026 after a short illness.

Dee was preceded in death by her parents; brothers, Jim and Ronnie Gunsaulus; sister, Darlene Veber Meisner; son, Brian Butler; and granddaughter, Jane Bartine.

Those left to cherish Dee’s memory include her husband of 75 years, Keith Butler; daughters, Terri (Lee) Bartine and Jill Ellis; grandchildren, Amy (Matt) Olson, Chris (Laura Martin) Bartine, Sam (Becca) Ellis and Sarah (Anthony Chavez) Ellis; great-grandchildren, Carter Olson, Samantha Bartine and Alexandra Bartine; sister-in-law, Dona Pope; and many nieces and nephews. In addition, her sisters-in-law, Karen Shannon and Joanne Gunsaulus, were very special to her.

The family would like to thank the medical professionals at MercyOne Medical Center in Newton for their excellent care of Dee. We are also most grateful to Dr. Edwards and the Wesley Life Hospice team for providing exceptional support and care during this most difficult time. Dee was the rock of the family, and we will miss her tremendously for the rest of our lives.

At her request, there will be no funeral service for Dee. A private family memorial will be held at a later date. The Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory is handling the arrangements.  If you wish to honor Dee’s memory, please donate to an animal rescue organization of your choice, make your bed, go fishing and smile!

Goodbyes are not forever, are not the end; it simply means I’ll miss you until we meet again. – Posted by Dee on the refrigerator at home

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