Died December 14, 2020.

North Lake Elementary School, Tullahoma, TN

Principal

Obituary:

George Parker Butler, Principal at North Lake Elementary School and life-long resident of Cowan, died of complications of COVID on December 14, 2020 at the age of 73 at Southern Tennessee Regional Medical Center in Winchester. George was born on April 11, 1947 to the late Claude Butler and the late Pauline Novak. He graduated from Franklin County High School in 1967. He and his brother then went on to Trevecca Nazarene University where they graduated July 1971. They later received their Master’s Degree in Administration and Supervision from Tennessee State University in the spring of 1984. In 1990, he was recognized as a Career Ladder III teacher.

George was well known for his dedication to educating children and adults. He began his forty-nine year career in education teaching and later serving as Principal at Belvidere School 1971-1974. In August 1974, he began teaching fifth grade at Clark Memorial School until June 1991. During the 1991-1992 school year, George was appointed as the only Principal to serve at North Lake Elementary for twenty-nine years. He was currently serving at North Lake School at the time of his death. In addition to his role in the elementary schools, for many years he taught GED classes in the Adult Basic Education Program at night. During the summer from 1971-1991, George continued to help the youth of our community by working for the Motlow College JTPA Program. Honors included: Distinguished Classroom Teacher Award, Tennessee Teacher Award, recognized by Jaycees-Outstanding Young Men of America, Tennessee Gold Star Award, and Tennessee School Board Association for Exceptional Educational Programs.

Everyone that knew George well also knew of his love for the NASA Space Program. From the age of thirteen, he was very interested in the history of the Space Program and excited for the future of space exploration. George was recognized for his special interest in the NASA Space Program. Awards include: NASA Distinguished Service Award, Teacher in Space Project Award, U.S. Space Camp Service Award, and NASA Name the Orbiter Award.

Along with his parents, George is also preceded in death by his sister, Evelyn Lewis. George is survived by his former wife and mother of his children, Sharon Butler of Cowan; daughter, Lynde (Jimmy) Davis of Winchester; son, Rhett (Noelle) Butler of Galesburg, Illinois; twin brother, John (Sandra) Butler of Cowan; sister, Joyce (Pat) Parrelli of Suwanee, Georgia; half-sister, Regina (Scott) Robertson of Tullahoma; half-brothers, Jeff Butler of Winchester and Kenneth (Janice) Butler of Augusta, Georgia; grandchildren, Kaleb Davis of Winchester, Kaleigh Davis of Winchester, and Josiah Butler of Galesburg, Illinois; and many nieces and nephews, Greg Lewis, David Wilhoite, Djuana Long, Troy Vineyard, Leanda Newman, Eric Butler, Christy Sweeney, Leah Fly, Andrew Scott, Shelley Wells, Sean Butler, Sacha Curtis, and Sherman Hargrove. He also loved his church, Cowan First Church of the Nazarene. Public visitation will be from 1-6 pm on Thursday, December 17, 2020 at North Lake Elementary School. The family requests everyone please wear a face mask and follow proper social distancing procedures. Private Funeral Services for the family, North Lake Staff, Cowan Nazarene Church, and Board of Education will be held at North Lake School with burial at Franklin Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial donations be made to Cowan Church of the Nazarene, 221 Cumberland Street West, Cowan, TN 37318. Moore-Cortner Funeral Home, 300 First Ave NW, Winchester, TN 37398, (931)-967-2222, www.moorecortner.com.