Mary Jean (Butler) O' Connor

Mary Jean Butler O'Connor was born on January 3, 1941 in Indianola, Pittsburg County, Oklahoma to Erdie Abram Butler and Myrtis S. Harper. She is a 1959 valedictorian graduate of McAlester High School, McAlester, Oklahoma. Following high school, she attended Southeastern State College (now University) in Durant, Oklahoma graduating with a AB degree in Education Literature in 1963. She taught English in Cushing, Oklahoma before moving to Oklahoma City to teach English and attended the University of Oklahoma graduating with a Masters Degree in French Education. She taught English and French at junior high and senior high schools in Oklahoma City until 1971.
She married James O'Connor at Tinker Air Force Base in Midwest City, Oklahoma on June 20, 1970. On August 13, 1972 she gave birth to son, Christopher, in Union City, New Jersey. She attended Texas Woman's University in Denton and Dallas earning a Master of Library Science Degree in 1987. She worked for the Garland Independent School District as a substitute librarian until accepting the position of Librarian at DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University, in June of 1991. In 2002, she became Cataloger at Nicholson Public Library in Garland until retiring in 2006. During her career as a librarian, Mary was active in the American Library Association.
She is survived by her loving and devoted husband of 48 years, James (Jim), and son, Christopher, brother, Clyde Butler of Ada, Oklahoma, and sister, Lucille Bird, of Georgetown, Texas, plus numerous nieces and nephews, and many dear and close friends. Being happiest surrounded by books, Mary was a voracious reader. She also enjoyed travel domestically and internationally including a summer in France and numerous vacations to New England, south and west Texas, California, and the Caribbean. She was an active parishioner of St. Barnabas' Episcopal Church for 44 years.