Harold Edwin 'Bub' Button

Harold “Bub” Button died peacefully at Legacy Pointe, Waukee, on July 7, 2016, in the arms of his loving and beloved bride, Shirley. Funeral service will be 10:30 a.m. Monday, July 11, 2016 at McCalley Funeral Home in Adel with burial at Oakdale Cemetery. Friends may call after Noon on Sunday at the funeral home where family will greet friends from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. with prayer service at 5:00 p.m. Bub started out his life in Adel, Iowa, the son of August and Lottie Button, on January 7, 1931. He knew that he didn’t like the name that Gus and Lottie were giving him. After all, what red-blooded blonde, cute, chubby little rascal would like being called Harold Edwin! So when his big brother Jim, who was all of just ten days short of being one year old, tried to call him “little brother” and it came out as “bubber,” he said “That’s it!” and so for the next 85 ½ years, little Harold Edwin became Bub and he loved that name! He even had “Bub” stitched on his ball caps and is taking one with him today. Bub attended school in Adel, was in Boy Scouts, helped take care of the St. Bernard dogs that his parents raised, was a paper boy, and hung around the bigger boys playing sports. He even met Babe Ruth one day at the ball diamond in Adel. He loved being at the pool in the park, was a lifeguard for a time and learned how to do many dives from the high tower and excelled at them. He even had a chance to show off his diving at the Olympic pool in Munich, Germany, when on a trip with Shirley. That was a memorable time for Bub – not only did he have the pictures to prove what he’d done, he had the colorful bruises to remind him that one of his dives wasn’t perfect! Bub played the snare drum in the band and sang in the choir. Through the years he won several medals at contest time with drum solos. When he was eight years old he got a little brother, Nick, and two years later another brother, Denny. Gus and Lottie had three other sons but they all died in infancy. Bub had a paper route for several years. His favorite place to collect for the paper was Don Devore’s hamburger joint, and “joint” it was. It was a small building just over the bridge coming into Adel on Highway 6. It had a big room at the back that was full of junk, so it was very entertaining for young kids to explore. Every once in a while Bub would find a treasure and if he had a little extra change in his pocket, that treasure would be his. That was the start of his “collecting.” Another part of the pleasure of being a paperboy was being in the vicinity of the railroad track when the train would come through. It would stop to unload mail and Bub would hand the conductor a paper and they would let him climb up into the engine and steer for a couple of blocks. Bub learned early in life that hard work never hurt anybody (words from his father). Work was not a concept that he ever shied away from. Back in the day when he was growing up, work was very much a part of his life, and he always had a job. After graduating from Adel High School in 1948, Bub sold his Model A coupe, that he had bought from his grandfather Mills, to have enough money for a semester of school at Simpson College. He had already been doing janitor work at the telephone company in Adel after school and on weekends so he just transferred that job to the office in Indianola. He managed to pay for another semester of school, then needed to go to work full time, because on August 19, 1951, he and Shirley Jenkins, his high school sweetheart, were married. Bub and Shirley shared almost 65 years of a journey so full of love, laughter, adventure, dreams, and so many, many memories to last all of us forever. Bub was with Northwestern Bell for many years, then became a stockbroker. At one point he and Shirley also operated motels in Adel and Princeton, Kentucky. Left to cherish those fabulous memories are Shirley, his wife of 64 years, 10 months; his six children and their spouses: Becky and Dave Andersen, Dan and Shari Button, Julie and Mark Kluber, Cindy and Randy Stefani, Dave and Teri Button, and Rob and Erica Button. Grandchildren Brooke and Mikkel Jakobsen; Alyssa and Frank Sablan; Brad and Shelley Button; Chad and Amanda Button; Brian and Sarah Sheehy, Jason Sheehy; Jordan and Jaelynn Kluber; Ryan, Kelsey and Brett Stefani; Jake and Cole Button, Kasey and Trent Geurts; Nick and Jackie Button, Josh and Nazareth Button, and Chelsea Button; and 20 great grandchildren; youngest brother Denny and wife Judy; and sister-in-law Joyce Button. He was predeceased by his parents; brothers Jim and Nick; granddaughter Katie Kluber; and son-in-law Harold Beaman. The family would like to thank all of the aides and staff at Legacy Pointe for their loving care of Bub these past ten months. They also are so grateful for the compassion, care and guidance provided by Hospice of Central Iowa. Memorials may be made in Bub’s honor to Hospice of Central Iowa, the Alzheimer’s Association, or a charity of choice. Online condolences may be left on this site.