Mary Butler knows who she is and what she wants.
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Her headstrong nature has been a saving grace through the ups and downs of the past century.
If not for her strong resolve, the Sandy Creek woman may never have gone on to marry her husband, Donald “Chappy” Butler, said her daughter, Julie Partington.
“The priests used to pull her up and say, ‘It’s inappropriate for you to be dealing with non-Catholics, Mary, to which she would say, ‘Father, I’ll choose my friends and it probably be wise you choose yours’,” she said.
“She said, ‘Religion doesn’t come into it for me, I'll take everyone as I find them.’”
It was this same strong will that got Mrs Butler through her husband’s sudden death less than 20 years later.
“Tragedies happen in life, that is life – is what she said,” Ms Partington said.
“At the end of the day, you can’t change what’s happened, but you can move forward and you have a responsibility to do that.”
“We’re just so lucky to have her.”
