Jules "Butch" E. Mairson, Jr.

Jules “Butch” E. Mairson, Jr., age 68, of Machesney Park, Illinois, passed away peacefully on September 9, 2016. He was born on May 17, 1948 in Chicago, Illinois to the late Opal and Jules Mairson. Butch and his younger brother Michael attended Rhodes Elementary School in Franklin Park, Illinois. Later on, Butch’s boyish exuberance led him to military school in Evergreen Park, where he learned that biting and lying were frowned upon. A quick learner, Butch grew into the honest, loving, and selfless man we all know and love. He later graduated from West Proviso High School in Hillside, Illinois and went on to join the Air Force, training in San Antonio, Texas. After graduating from technical training, Butch was deployed to Okinawa, Japan, where he served for 18 months. He spent another 18 months in Vietnam as a radio intercept analysis specialist. He served his final 8 months of duty with the NSA in Maryland at Fort Meade, Maryland. From intercepting and analyzing communications to organizing charity events for the local orphanage in Da Nang, Butch served his country faithfully for 4 years. As a veteran of the Vietnam War, he was awarded the bronze star by Major General Stapleton on April 22, 1970 for his efforts. Always putting others first, Butch was proud of the barbecue he would often whip up for his fellow airmen out of “nothing but ketchup and whatever the locals gave us” after a long, hot day in Okinawa. 

His children were endowed with his same sense of patriotism and service. One of Butch’s proudest moments was watching his son, Staff Sergeant Jeffrey Mairson, graduate from the Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, earning his coveted Eagle, Globe and Anchor, making him a Marine. Staff Sergeant Mairson continues to serve in Pensacola, Florida, also whipping up barbecue for his fellow Marines. On September 1, 1973, Butch married the love of his life, Darlene “De” Robinson, in Chicago, Illinois. The couple came to know Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior in Bloomington Church of God in Minnesota.

An avid sports fan, Butch was often found shooting the back nine at Sandy Hollow Golf Course or beating his children with the “Jabbar Hook” in a game of pig on the driveway. When he was not managing the local Sears Hardware store in Loves Park, Illinois, or driving a school bus for the Belvidere School District, he was usually with his family enjoying a good meal or teaching them the finer points of pinochle and spoons. Butch was also a very active part of Journey Church in Loves Park, serving as an usher and participating in the men’s ministry. Thank you to the many friends far away in Minneapolis, St. Louis, and Chicago, who have enriched Butch’s life and have done so much to bring him joy. 

Butch is survived by his wife of 43 years and his three children, and two sons-in-law, Karen and Jeff Mabry, Courtney and Robert Spatz, and Jeffrey Mairson. He was a wonderful grandfather to his five granddaughters, Kayla, Charis, Laila, Lydia, and Morgyn.

Please join us in celebrating his life at a Memorial Service at 11:00am on Saturday, September 17, in Journey Church, 7825 Forest Hills Rd., Loves Park, IL. Visitation from 10:00am until the 11:00am Memorial Service.

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