Sue Cottey Butcher, 95, an adventurous and fun-loving spirit with scores of friends in Marfa, died peacefully June 2, 2026, in San Antonio. Born October 26, 1930, in El Reno, Oklahoma, Sue was the daughter of Chester Cottey, a carpenter, and Virginia Cottey, a grocery cashier. Sue demonstrated great skill in sports, particularly in basketball, and shone so brightly in the classroom that her English teacher begged her parents to find a way to send her to college. Sue’s father took her report cards to the bank and used those as a kind of collateral to secure a $50 loan for her to go.
At Central State University she took every class she could, set statewide swimming records, taught undergraduates while she was still an undergraduate herself, and made lifelong friends, leaving with a B.A. in physical education. She followed with an M.A. in modern dance at Texas Woman’s University and then leapt into planning social events for the U.S. Army’s Special Services in Berlin, Germany.
She fearlessly charmed her way across Europe. After two years in Berlin, she returned to the U.S., set to wed an officer from Florida. A chance encounter with her neighbor, however, led her to meet Allan Butcher, and they eloped six months later. They were together nearly 67 years.
Sue was drawn to working with those who were challenged in some way, teaching physical education at an Arkansas school for the intellectually disabled and at a New York psychiatric hospital. She and Allan lived amid the Inuit on the Yukon River, beatniks in Greenwich Village and rabble-rousing academics in San Marcos. Along the way she and Allan welcomed two children, Allan Jr. and Sterry. She was a fierce editor of Allan’s legal briefs, developed an eye for antiques and Victorian houses, competed in racquetball and adored reading. At age 65, she moved into the dorms at Texas Woman’s University for a year of studying fine art.
In her later years, she often accompanied Allan to his Tarrant County judicial office, where she made abiding friendships with the bailiffs, deputies and jailers there. She loved eating out, dressing sharp and experiencing visual art, dance and classical music. Even as dementia overtook her memories, she retained a sunny nature, smiling until the end. And always, she was devoted to Allan.
She is survived by her husband, Allan Butcher, of San Antonio; son Allan Butcher Jr. and his wife, Susan, of Helotes; daughter Sterry Butcher, and husband Michael Roch, of Marfa; her adored grandchildren Salvador Butcher, Xóchitl Butcher, Victor Butcher and Huck Butcher Roch; countless friends; and Sue’s beloved caregivers, Lori Farris and Carla Poth, who showed depthless compassion and love for their “Sue Boo” over the past three years.
