Laurie C. Butler

Laurie Charles Butler was born in Baltimore City on July 13, 1941 to the late Veneta Mae (Parker) Butler and the late Laurie Noah Butler. He passed from this life on May 19, 2003 after a long illness.“Butch,” as he was called by family and neighborhood friends, grew up in the Mount Winans section of South Baltimore. He was educated in the Baltimore City Public School System in 1959 Laurie graduated from Baltimore City College High School and briefly attended Morgan State College. In 1963 Laurie was drafted into the U.S. Army. He received an honorable discharge in 1969. During his time in the military he served as a clinical chemistry technician and was stationed in Fort Sam Houston, Texas and Fort Rucker, Alabama.In 1967, while working at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he met Gloria Jones Carter, a nurse who was also employed at Johns Hopkins. After a whirlwind romance, the two were married in August 1967. Gloria had a 3-year-old son, Donald Wesley Carter. Jr., from her fist marriage, and they and Laurie was an instant little family. From this union, they were then blessed with a daughter, Ronda Susan Butler, in 1969 and another son, Martin Malcolm Butler, in 1970.Laurie very much enjoyed classic jazz, vintage cars, family and African American History, and he was always known for being a sharp dresser. In his later years he worked as a program director for the drug Abuse counseling program at Liberty Medical Center. Laurie had the distinction of being the first African American Chairman of the Governor’s Advisory Board on Drug and Alcohol Abuse, serving under Governor Harry Hughes. Laurie’s last employer was the Institute for Behavioral Resources. Laurie also became a very active member of Mt. Winans United Methodist Church, his childhood church, and made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ. Laurie leaves to cherish and remember his life: one daughter, Ronda Butler Washington; two sons, Donald W. Carter, Jr. and Martin M. Butler; two daughters-in-law, Debra M. Carter and Diane G. butler; one son-in-law, Alex Washington, Sr.; one granddaughter, Naomi Carter; two grandsons, Noah Carter and Isaac Carter; two sisters, Evelyn Levi and Violet G. Hemsley; two nieces, Aquanetta and Jolly and Constance Trammell; two nephews, Bernard Johnson and Kenneth Hemsley, Sr.; and a host of great nieces, great nephews, cousins and family friends.

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Laurie C. Butler

July 13, 1941 - May 19, 2003