Orby L Butcher, 1927-1933

Dr. Orby Lee Butcher Jr., an International Mission Board missionary emeritus who shared the gospel among the Southeast Asian Affinity Peoples in Thailand, died June 21, 2020. He was 92.

He was born July 27, 1927, in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to the late Orby Lee Butcher Sr. and Leona Mallone Butcher. He received the Bachelor of Science from Oklahoma Baptist University, Shawnee, and the Doctor of Medicine from University of Oklahoma Medical School, Oklahoma City.

At OBU, Butcher met Elizabeth Ann Luellen and they were married in 1948.

In 1960, the Foreign Mission Board (now International Mission Board) appointed the Butchers as missionaries to Thailand, where he was a missionary physician and helped start Bangkla Baptist Hospital. They spent several years in the United States, where Butcher was a physician in Beaver and Guymon, Oklahoma, and returned to Thailand, completing close to 20 years of service there.

Butcher is survived by a daughter Judy Friesen (Dennis); sons, Steve Butcher (LuCreta), Michael Butcher (Rhonda), and Peter Butcher; 10 grandchildren and 17 great-grandchildren; and one sister, Jeannelle Black.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 69 years, Betty Butcher; and one brother, Johnnie Butcher.

A service was held at June 27, 2020, at Resthaven Memorial Park, Shawnee. A video of the service is available at the Resthaven Funeral Home Facebook page https://m.facebook.com/ResthavenFuneralHomeAndMemorialPark/.

Memorial donations may be made to the Lottie Moon Offering, International Mission Board, 3806 Monument Avenue, Richmond, VA 23230, or online at www.imb.org/give, or to Thai Country Trim, c/o Cheryl Derbyshire, 5670 W. Harmont, Glendale AZ 85302

Read an obituary here.