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Phyllis Butler died June 8, 2012. She served the conference in many capacities, including as the first woman to serve as Conference Lay Leader.  She was conference president of United Methodist Women and chair of the Council on Ministries. A funeral service was held June 12, at Arden UMC with the Rev. Kathy Spitzer officiating. Interment is in the Arden UMC cemetery.

Phyllis Jean Puffenberger was born Oct. 1, 1932, in Washington, D.C., to the late Ruth Lewis and George H. Puffenberger. Her mother died when she was five, and she went to Berkeley County to live with her grandparents, Alice and Pressley Lewis and her Aunt Mable Lewis who became a second mother to her. 

She attended Pikeside Elementary School and graduated in 1951 from Martinsburg High School. She was active in many school activities and clubs, in spite of missing a full year of school in 1950 due to polio.

Following high school, she was employed at Potomac Light and Power (now Allegheny Power) until her marriage in November 1957 to A. Elwood Butler, a Berkeley County farmer and orchardist. She served as the accountant for the family business, Butler Brothers Dairy and Orchard, until retirement.

Butler was a lifelong member of Arden UMC, where she was involved in many church activities.  She taught Sunday school classes, played piano/organ, directed the choir, was treasurer, lay leader and lay member to annual conferences, and served in many other capacities. As a member of the United Methodist Women, she was elected the first president of the newly formed Frederick District of the Baltimore Conference. She served as the president of the Baltimore-Washington Conference United Methodist Women from 1976-1980, the first woman outside the Baltimore-Washington area to be elected to that position.

She was elected Lay Leader of the Conference, the first woman to hold that position. For five years she was chair person of the Conference Council on Ministries. Other responsibilities included Conference nominating committee, conference personnel committee, chair of the Time to Grow Capital funds drive, and dean of the School of Christian Mission

Butler was a delegate to General Conference five times, serving as chairperson of the delegation in 1992. She was a member of the General Council on Ministries for eight years, served on the Advance Committee for United Methodist Committee on Relief, and was a member of the Episcopacy Committee, whose responsibilities included assigning bishops to their areas of service.

An avid reader, Butler also enjoyed traveling and attended the World Methodist Council in Singapore in 1991, the Oberammergau Passion Play in Germany in 1990, and a mission trip to Haiti in 1984. She visited 40 states including Hawaii and Alaska, and as a member of the Appalachian Development Committee, traveled to all 55 counties in West Virginia.

In her home community, Butler was a member of the Auxiliary to the West Virginia Horticultural Committee, a member of the Southern States Farm Advisory  Board and served as President of the now defunct Church Women United. She was a volunteer with Meals on Wheels and a reader to elementary students at Hedgesville Elementary School.

A special joy in the life of the Butlers was their son, Steven Pressley Butler, who died in 1974, but whose memory blessed them throughout their lives.  Her husband preceded her in death in March 2000.

Survivors include a brother, George “Bud” Lewis of Sebring, Fla., and many dearly loved nieces and nephews, brothers-in-law, cousins and great nieces and nephews.  

Memorial contributions may be made to Arden UMC, 4464 Arden Nollville Road, Martinsburg, WV 25403.