Bernice “Bernie” Ruth (Renaud) Butin, 99, of Monroe, passed away Thurs-day, Mar. 17, 2022. Funeral services will be held Monday, Mar. 28, at 11 a.m. at Monroe United Methodist Church. Visitation will take place on Monday, Mar. 28, from 10 a.m. until service time at the church. A luncheon in the fellowship hall will follow the service. Burial will take place at the Hewitt Cemetery east of Reasnor. For those desiring, memorials may be directed to the family, which will then be given to the church in Bernice's honor. Condolences may be left for the family at coburnfuneralhomes.com.
The daughter of Victor B. and Bessie B. (Mol) Renaud, Bernie was born Oct. 10, 1922, on her parents’ farm south of Sully. She attended Chester Rural School south of Sully and graduated from Sully High School in 1941. Bernie met and fell in love with Claire at a concert in Sully where she was running a popcorn stand. Four years later while Claire was stationed at Mather Field, CA, he mailed an engagement ring to Bernie. She said “yes,” and on Sept. 5, 1941, Bernie was united in marriage to Claire Edwin Butin at her mother's home in Sully. Recently in 2019, they celebrated their 78th wedding anniversary together. After raising her three children, Sandy, Lynn, and Bob, she worked at the Pella Hospital as a nurse's aide for several years. She was a longtime member of Monroe United Methodist Church and Women's Club. Later on, Bernie and Claire enjoyed volunteering at RSVP and various other Jasper County organizations. She made many lifelong friends through her church and throughout the Jasper County community. Bernie cherished her neighbors and their children. She always had a good supply of cookies on hand and really looked forward to their visits.
Bernie loved being a homemaker, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She felt great personal satisfaction when she was attending to everyone else's needs. She was an excellent cook and could magically deliver multiple hot dishes to the table at once. It gave her great pleasure to make sure everyone had enough to eat. Taking small portions was not an option. All guests had an extra dip of ice cream, another cookie, and their coffee cup was always full. She firmly believed root beer could heal any ailment, from tummy aches to fevers.
She loved to be outdoors and working in the yard whenever possible. At age 97, she still enjoyed mowing her lawn and touted the health benefits of pushing her lawn mower--God only knows how she was able to start the machine. When she set her mind to do something, it usually happened. Her hobbies included gardening, collecting dolls, crossword puzzles, and her hats.
Those left to honor her memory include her son Robert "Bob" Edwin Butin; sister Jean (Renaud) Morris; seven grandchildren: Bradley (Liz) Albers, Bryan (Jody) Albers, Darren (Dawn) Albers, Lance (Jennifer) Young, Chad Young, Elizabeth (Steve) Breton, Annie (Andy) Almquist; sons-in-law Dale Albers, Myron Young, and Gene Mitchell; 24 great-grandchildren; and many dear friends.
Preceding her in death were her parents; her husband Claire; her two daughters Sandra Kay (Butin) Albers and Lynn Carol (Butin) Young Mitchell; her brother Robert L. Renaud; and her sister Joyce M. (Renaud) Versteegh.
The family greatly appreciates the loving staff at Bickford of Ames that provided excellent care for Bernie this past year.
