Jeannine C. Hamby Butts

Maj.(Ret.) Jeannine (Jenny) C. Hamby Butts, age 59 of Cunningham, TN, passed away on 21 July 2025 at Cookeville Regional Medical Center. Jenny was born on 8 April 1966, in Ft. Gordon, GA to the late COL (ret.) Orville N. Butts and Bianca Detert Butts. Orv was a lifelong Military Policeman and theirs was an Army family. Jenny is survived by her loving husband, LTC (ret.) Joel E. Hamby, daughters, Danielle E. Hamby and Killian S. Hamby; brother, COL (ret.) Gregory Butts; nephews, Kenneth, Jimmy and Steven Butts, all of whom are currently Active Duty US Army.; cousins, Kelly and Frank Cuff. Jenny is a 24-year veteran of the United States Army where she served honorably with Judge Advocate General (JAG) and awarded the Soldiers Medal for valorously saving a life while not in combat. She was a 1988 graduate of Wichita State University, and a graduate of the Kansas State Law School in 1991. She was direct commissioned into the Judge Advocate General's Branch as a lawyer and First Lieutenant 20 Sep 1991 and was posed to Darmstadt, Germany and other places as a trial counsel and claims attorney until 1995 where she went to where she would eventually call home, Fort Campbell where she was again a trial counsel and Administrative Law Attorney. She also met Joel here and they married in the 1st Brigade Chapel on 31 August 1997. They went to Fort Polk, LA in 1998 where she was a Senior Defense Counsel until 2000, and then was selected to attend the SJA LLM Couse where she met and mastered all the legal requirements for a Master of Laws Degree (LLM) in 2001 and was also sworn into the Supreme Court as a practicing attorney. On 9/11 both she and Joel tried giving blood and Jenny stole some of his Battle Dress Uniforms so she could be prepared where her office started wearing them for duty (hers were still in transit). She was then a practicing Army attorney for the Pentagon's OTJAG, defending the Army against civil litigation, and only nearly missed the attacks because she didn't have to be at the Pentagon that day. In 2002, while Joel was posted to away to Fort Bragg, she valorously defended a female JAG intern from being sexually assaulted in a home invasion in 2002 for which she was awarded the Soldier's Medal, the highest Army award for valor in a non-combat environment. From Washington D.C. she was assigned to Bosnia in 2003-2004 and served for 11 months as the only Active Duty SJA for three rotations of USARNG JAG units. She was most proud of her time with the 34th Infantry Division (RED BULLS) of the MN ARNG the proud professionals within that unit. From there she joined Joel at Fort Bragg, NC and served there until about 2006. While stationed in Washington DC again they found the farm here in Cunningham and the 76 acres she found was their dream they purchased in 2008. Unfortunately, Joel was in Iraq, and Jenny was unable to reside there until 2010 where she was the Senior Claims Attorney but fate also had her in hand and she soon posted as the Senior Legal Counsel for the Blanchfield Army Community Hospital on post until her retirement in 2015. She dedicated herself as a wife and mother in 2012 when she gave birth to Danielle in 2012 while Joel was in Afghanistan. This was through miracle of IVF, and she also gave birth to Killian in 2015, so late in her career she missed out on most of her maternity leave. She proudly took care of the family and community since her retirement and will be missed by all. They were loyal members of the Lone Oak Baptist Church since 2025, and she will be missed by all who knew her. She was loved by God, and her family. A memorial service will be announced at a later time and will be held at Kentucky Veterans Cemetery West with full military honors. Arrangements are entrusted to Neal Tarpley Parchman Funeral Home, 1510 Madison Street, Clarksville, TN 37040 (931) 645-6488. Online condolences may be made at www.nealtarpleyparchman.com