Honorable Angela Therese Butts

Judge Angela T. Butts, 69 passed on August 6, 2024. Mass Celebration will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024 at 11:00 A.M. at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church 2560 Tilson Rd. Decatur, GA. Interment North Atlanta Memorial Park, 5188 Winters Chapel Rd. Dunwoody, GA. Visitation will be held on Friday, August 16, 2024 from 12 Noon to 5:00 P.M at Gregory B. Levett & Sons South Dekalb Chapel. Wake services will be held from 6:00 P.M. to 8:00 P.M. at St. Peter and Paul Catholic Church. Please express your condolences on our website. Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Homes & Crematory South Dekalb Chapel 404.241.5656. Angela Therese Butts, Angie as she was affectionally called was born at Bellevue Hospital in Manhattan, New York City on January 31, 1955 to Rosamae Butts and Freddie Butts. She peacefully passed away on August 6, 2024. Both parents predeceased her. The loss of her mother at her tender age of 8 profoundly affected her. Angie was born at a time when it was a time of social change in the Country and people who had little formal education had little options for the future. Her mother wanted and expected her children to take the opportunities given to them. Angie, from a very young age, though quiet and soft spoken was a force of nature determined to become a woman who contributed. She understood and always wanted to make her mother proud of her. Her mother was the most beautiful and loving woman. She was a role model for Angie. She was strong, kind and relentlessly devoted to her children. Angie was like her in so many ways. Her personal character, integrity, outgoing nature, and concern for others comes from being the daughter of an incredibly and singularly remarkable mother. Angie attended New York City public school, then called P. S. 16O until age 8 when her mother died. She and her sister, Debbie, went to live with relatives in Philadelphia. There, she attended St. Ignatius School for two years. From there, she went to live with her mother’s sister, Aunt Ruby in Macon, GA. where she attended St. Peter Claver Catholic grammar school. Judge Butts spent her childhood in Macon, Georgia, where she lived with her aunt after her mother’s passing. She received the sacrament of baptism into the Catholic faith at an early age. Angie excelled academically and athletically at Central High School graduating in 1971. After graduating from high school with high honors, she began her college education at the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia, before transferring to Howard University in Washington, D.C. There, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree with a major in physical therapy in 1978. She worked as a physical therapist for several years until an injury forced her to change careers. She enrolled at the Georgia State University College of Law in Atlanta, Georgia, where she became Articles Editor of the Law Review. After earning her Juris Doctorate degree in 1989, she worked as a Public Defender in the City of Atlanta Public Defender’s Office. With an amazing work ethic, she was appointed to the bench of the Dekalb County Recorders Court, one of the busiest courts in the State of Georgia, as an Associate Judge in 1997. Judge Butts also sat by designation in Dekalb County State and Superior Courts. She served on the Executive Committee of the Council of Municipal Court Judges and was a member of the International Women’s Think Tank. She earned credentials to become a certified civil arbitrator where she utilized her mediation skills to resolve disputes and conflicts. Judge Butts served her community in various activities as a member of the Georgia Association of Black Women Attorneys, the Dekalb Bar Association, among others. She was a mentor to many. She lent her beautiful singing voice to several musical events. She used her gifts to bring joy to those around her. Angela T. Butts was united in marriage to Ronnie Glen Parker and to that union were born three children, a son Cameron Omari Parker and two daughters Ayanna Rose Parker and Aliya Arielle (Brenden) Williams. The marriage was dissolved. To her children she passed on her love of sports (she was a track star and cheerleader in high school). Somehow, Judge Butts managed to be courtside, at the track, or poolside at all their basketball games, track and field events, volleyball games, and swim meets. With Judge Butts’ encouragement, all of her children went to college as national champions with scholarships in track and field and volleyball. In addition to her children, those left to cherish the legacy of the full, well-lived life of Judge Butts are her grandchildren A’mari Ann Parker, Brenden Marquis Williams II, Leilani Rose Williams, Kamilah Brenley Williams, and Anaya Angela Williams; a sister Deborah Butts Coleman; a niece Anthea Coleman, a nephew Buddy Coleman, and a beloved granddog Mr. Kaney Wayne. The early loss of her mother created a need in Judge Butts to build a strong foundation rooted in family and close friends. This devoted mother and grandmother enjoyed being present at births, made sure all holidays and birthdays were special, and memorable. Judge Angela Therese Butts was a respected friend, a caring, benevolent spirit, a dedicated mother and beloved grandmother who loved the camaraderie of family and close friends. She was strong and she embodied grace, class, and hard work attributes she received from her mother. Without a doubt, she slipped her feet into one of her many beautiful pairs of high heeled shoes and did her hallelujah dance through the gates of heaven. Thank you, Lord, for sharing this gorgeous soul with us.

Tributes

Honorable Angela Therese Butts

January 31, 1955 - August 6, 2024