Gloria Denise Butler entered into eternal rest on Monday, October 5, 2026, after a courageous 19-month battle with Renal Cell Carcinoma. Born July 29, 1949, in Goldsboro, North Carolina, she was a daughter of the late Woodrow Parker and Darlee McCullen Parker.
She is survived by: her husband, Eugene “Gene” V. Butler, III; her children, Kimberly Simmons Crouse (Clint) of Walterboro, and Marion R. “Rob” Simmons, IV (MJ) of Beaufort; stepchildren, Eugene V. “Gene” Butler, IV, and Rebecca (Rob) Butler Benware; grandchildren, Kelsey, Marion, Wallace, Julia, Addie (Caleb), Austin (Abbey), Kalee (Tyler), Ethan, Aiden, Millie and Will. She is also survived by her sister, Margaret Parker Lewis (Carl), Goldsboro, NC; nieces, Carla and Corin; nephews, Chuck, Brooks, Kyle, John Morgan, Joseph, Lowell, and Ryan; and many dear cousins. She was pre-deceased by her father and mother; her granddaughter, Kristin Leigh Roberts; her sisters, Janey P. Godwin and Betty Ann Parker; her brother, David Anthony Parker; and her nephew, Beau Lewis.
As the oldest of four siblings, she assumed the duty of caregiver and guiding light that she would continue throughout her life. Her work ethic and personality allowed her to easily make life-long friends from the Carolinas to Massachusetts. Denise had a wonderful voice and love of all music and will be remembered for her deep commitment to Jesus Christ where she sang in multiple church choirs and was an Elder in the Presbyterian Church. Denise had an infectious personality and opened the Apple Dumpling Shop in Walterboro, SC in 1977, and then became Director of the Walterboro/Colleton County Chamber of Commerce in 1985. In 1990, she helped create the South Carolina Artisans Center in Walterboro, SC and became its first director in 1994. Denise was also a licensed real estate agent in South Carolina and instrumental in starting the Edisto River Canoe and Kayak Trail. She willingly donated her time to many organizations she found worthwhile.
In 2002 she married Gene Butler and shortly after moved to Dillon, SC and then later to Charleston, SC only to retire in Waynesville, NC where she would go on to enjoy her final years surrounded by the mountains she so dearly loved. Her friends, children, and grandchildren will forever remember her love for entertaining, cooking, riding her Harley Davidson, and gardening. Denise left a legacy of countless friendships and will always be remembered for her selfless acts of generosity and kindness. A woman of extraordinary beauty, strength and grace, she lived her life to the fullest and will be unforgettable to those she touched and will be missed by many.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Epworth Children’s Home or MUSC Hollings Cancer Center.
A celebration of life will tentatively be held at 2 o’clock, Saturday, November 14, 2026, at Waynesville First Presbyterian Church, Waynesville, North Carolina.
ARRANGEMENTS BY: THE BRICE W. HERNDON AND SONS FUNERAL HOME, WALTERBORO CHAPEL, 1193 Bells Highway, Walterboro.
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