John Buteyn Jr. ’66

John Buteyn Jr. ’66 of Plano, Texas, died on Thursday, July 20, 2017. He was 73.  lost his battle with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis on July 20th at 1:55 PM, surrounded by his family.

Jack was preceded in death by his mother, Margaret Skeels Buteyn; father, Reverend John Edward Buteyn, Sr.; and sister, Carol Berberian. He is survived by his wife, Linda; his daughter, Leslie of San Antonio, Texas; his son, Erik, and wife, Hilary, of Dallas, Texas; two granddaughters, Harper Rae, 3, and Hunter Rose, 8 months; and four grandsons, Landon, 14, Jackson Rydell, 14, Tristan, 13, and Jackson, 11.

Jack was born on July 18, 1944, in Harvey, Illinois. He attended Hope College in Holland, Michigan, where he met Linda Deurwaarder, his wife of fifty years. After accepting a call to ministry, Jack led congregations in Lansing, Michigan, and Clymer, New York, before he started the Reformed Church in Plano in 1978, serving as the founding and lead pastor for thirty years. During his ministry, Jack was also a civic leader, serving on the Plano Independent School District school board, the Board of Trustees at Hope College, the Board of Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital of Plano, and a number of other organizations in the community. After he retired his position at the Reformed Church in Plano in 2009, Jack and Linda continued their ministry in the Sultanate of Oman, where Jack was appointed minister of the Protestant Church of Oman. Jack’s contagious love of Jesus Christ and his welcoming embrace made everyone want to celebrate life.

He will be missed by so many more people than he ever would have realized. He served, not for praise, but because of his faith and love in God. A visitation with the family will be held on Monday, July 24, from 6:00 to 8:00 PM at Ted Dickey West Funeral Home in Dallas. Memorial Services will be held on Tuesday, July 25, at 11:00 AM at St. Andrew United Methodist Church in Plano. The family has designated the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation for memorial contributions in honor of Jack.