Marian Buteyn

Marian Buteyn was a woman who devoted her entire life to loving, teaching, and most of all, serving. Her life was so fulfilled by the two things most important to her, her family and her faith, which guided her every day, just as she guided those around her.

Marian's story began on a warm spring day in 1927, in the Windy City of Chicago. On May 15, 1927, Rev. Carl Schroeder and his wife Cassie celebrated the birth of a beautiful baby girl they named Marian.

Marian's family had a long, proud history of serving the Lord, and together with her sister Joan and brother Carl Jr., she was raised with the same commitment to the ministry and mission of the Church. Her parents served congregations in the Reformed Church in Indianapolis, Chicago, Beaverdam, Michigan, Peterson, N.J., and Exeter and Calgary, Canada.

Like her immigrant father, she, along with her brother and sister, attended Hope College where all three met their future spouses. Marian graduated from Hope in 1949, and was married the same year to the Rev. Donald P. Buteyn, a 1948 Hope grad.

Over the next 58 years, Marian and Donald devoted their lives to serving the Lord together, and were so blessed in return. They were the proud parents of six wonderful children, Richard, Joyce, Jean, Carol, Douglas and Steven.

Their shared journey in Christian ministry included seminary internships at the Old North Church in Dumont, N.J., and the First Reformed Church of Waupun, Wis. and pastorates at Jamestown Reformed Church, Midland Reformed Church, and First Reformed Church of Kalamazoo. Then in 1964 her husband accepted a call to serve on the staff of The First Presbyterian Church of Berkeley, California.

Marian and Don continued serving congregations of the United Presbyterian Church throughout California over the years, from Hollywood to San Diego, interspersed by times of service in Seattle, Alaska and the San Francisco Theological Seminary, where she received her Masters degree from San Francisco Theological Seminary in 1989. While there she served with her husband during his eight years on the faculty including a term as Dean.

Marian was active as an Elder and leader in a variety of women's ministries in both California and Washington.

She was very active in the Seminary's Center for Christian Spiritual Disciplines and was a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. She was also certified as a Spiritual Director by the Sisters of Mercy at Mercy Center in Burlingame, Calif.

Marian was deeply involved in the training of numbers of women in the practice of spiritual direction and formation which has begun to capture the attention of both clergy and lay leaders in both Protestant and Roman Catholic ministries. Marian served for several years on the administrative staff of the Marin County School District and also the staff of the Los Angeles Orphan Home Society.

After a lifetime of love, teaching and serving, Marian sadly died May 5, 2007 at Holland Hospital, after a long period of ill health. She will be so greatly missed.

Surviving are her husband of 58 years, Donald; children, Richard Buteyn, Joyce Garrett, Jean Amato, Carol Harris, Douglas Buteyn and Steven Buteyn; 10 grandchildren; eight stepgrandchildren; one great-grandson; and brother and sister, Carl and Lucille Schroeder, and Lee and Joan Wenke.

A funeral Service will be held at Hope Church at 11 A.M. on Friday, May 11 with the Rev. Gordon Wiersma presiding. Visitation will be at the Northwood Chapel, Dykstra Funeral Homes, on Thursday from 4 P.M. to 8 P.M. Burial will take place at Lakewood Cemetery. Arrangements are by the Northwood Chapel, Dykstra Funeral Homes.