Arlene Dyson Butler of the Shinnecock Indian Nation died May 14. She was 92. Ms. Butler was born on June 18, 1922, in Southampton to Mable Bunn Dyson and Charles M. Dyson. She was the granddaughter of Ada M. Bunn and James Gilbert Bunn and the great-granddaughter of Fannie R. Cuffee and Russell Bunn, one of the 10 men who perished on the wreck of the Circassian.
Ms. Butler graduated from Franklin K. Lane High School in Queens in 1940. Upon graduation, she began working for New York State assisting adults with disabilities.
In 1941, she met Arnett Butler, the man who would become her best friend, and they married on February 13, 1942. They shared 69 years together, during which they raised two daughters, Phyllis Mabel Butler and Patricia Marie Butler.
In 1956, the couple bought a home in Westbury, where they resided for 24 years. She continued to work for the state as a case manager and in the early 1970s enrolled at New York University, earning a bachelor’s degree. In 1979, she retired from her job of more than 35 years, and in 1980, they moved to the Shinnecock Reservation, where they built their home.
In Southampton, she quickly got involved with the senior citizens group and began hosting infamous poker and bid whist gatherings at her home. She loved being in the kitchen cooking her clam chowder, succotash and cheesecake, for which she was known. She even began hosting small cooking classes for many of her great-nieces, teaching them how to bake. Every Powwow weekend, she and her husband would host family and friends for the weekend, opening the house and yard to everyone who wanted to come. This tradition went on for more than 25 years, survivors said.
Ms. Butler had a strong-independent personality and was never afraid to offer an opinion, whether asked for or not, survivors said, adding that the strength of her convictions led her to believe there was a right way to do things and a wrong way. She was the first to tell you which way you were doing it and correct you if necessary, survivors said.
Ms. Butler was predeceased by her husband, Arnett; two daughters, Phyllis B. Hughes and Patricia M. Johnson; sisters, Marion Monclova and Bernice Smith; and grandson, Robert J. Johnson Jr.
She is survived by three grandchildren, Brian V. Hughes of Nevada, Angela Hughes-Johnson and husband Joe, and Jason Johnson, both of Shinnecock Indian Nation; two great-grandchildren, Jelani and Ajani Johnson; a sister, Shirley Smith of the Shinnecock Indian Nation; a sister-in-law, Dollie Butler of Tennessee; and a host of relatives and friends.
The family received friends at the Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton on May 19. A funeral service took place on May 20 at the Shinnecock Presbyterian Church with the Reverend Michael Smith officiating. Interment followed at Shinnecock Cemetery.
on May 25, 2015