Anne Butler Hyde

Anne Butler Hyde, 87, and longtime resident of Midland, Texas, passed away peacefully in her home on January 22, 2026. Anne was born February 5, 1938, at Fort Benning, Georgia to Katherine Jackson and Col. Grady Wolfe Butler. Shortly thereafter, they moved to the family farm and homestead in Oakland, Mississippi, where her brothers, George (Lee) and William (Bill) Butler were born. With the three children growing up as a tight knit unit in the rural South, they together also endured the sacrifices and hardships of military life, with periodic uprooting to new locals as exotic as the Philippines and as exciting as Arlington, Virginia, where Anne met her future husband, Thomas "Tommy" Hyde at Washington & Lee High School in 1955 – he as a captain of the football team and she as both a drummer and cheerleader. After high school, they continued to date, with Anne attending Mary Washington College of the University of Virginia and Tom as a "midi" and All American Football player at the U.S. Naval Academy. Both Anne and Tom graduated in May 1960. Their love endured and they were married in a full-dress colors, crossed-swords, horse-drawn carriage ceremony at the U.S. Naval Academy Chapel in Annapolis, Maryland in June 1960.

Soon thereafter, this quintessentially American couple then spent 4 years in Oahu, Hawaii where Tom was stationed at Pearl Harbor Naval Station. Their son, Thomas, Jr. aka "Kip" Hyde was born a little over a year later in August 1961. Ever the astute student, Anne started graduate classes at the University of Hawaii while shepherding her new son all over the island in a bright red two-seater MGA roadster. But alas, when Tom's four-year tour was over, back to the mainland they went, landing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where both Anne and Tom started graduate school ultimately pursuing their doctorates, with Anne's work centered in Cultural Anthropology and Linguistics and Tom's PhD awarded in Systems Engineering. During graduate school, Anne taught at Spring Garden College and later with Tom at Widener University. After receiving his doctorate, Tom went to Bell Laboratories in Holmdel, NJ, with the family soon following, then on to Midland, TX, where he took the position of Chairman of Engineering at the University of Texas Permian Basin in 1979, and later Anne as a professor of Anthropology at Midland College. While a bit of a culture shock at first (it was during the Boom when the family arrived after all), Anne and Tom made their home in Midland for the next 47 years, becoming deeply involved with the Midland Symphony Orchestra, Permian Basin Opera, and Midland Community Theater among many other great West Texas organizations, with the two of them enjoying the countless great families and friendships made over those many years.

After finishing her years teaching in the classroom, Anne turned her focus to one of her greatest loves: genealogical research – for her own family and for many of their friends and families in West Texas and beyond. A member of the Jamestowne Society and both the National and Texas Society Colonial Dames XVII Century among other historical societies, Anne was also a member of her beloved Colonel Theunis Dey Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). Following in the footsteps of her mother (a Mississippi DAR State Regent), Anne lent her considerable research skills in support of the DAR's mission to promote historic preservation, education, and patriotism across the United States.

Gifted with a brilliant and inquisitive mind, she approached every conversation as an opportunity for learning. She was not always brief – but she was always worth the time. Anne spoke with the confidence of a seasoned professor and the gracious charm of a Southern hostess and those who listened were invariably enriched. We will not only mourn her passing, we will deeply miss the lively exchange of ideas, the sparkle of her intellect, and the unmistakable touch of genius she brought into our lives.

Anne is survived by her son, Thomas A. "Kip" Hyde, Jr., her brother, Gen. George Lee Butler (Ret.), and her grandchildren, Katherine-Elizabeth Whitehead Hyde, Emily Payne Hyde, and Thomas A. "Tripp" Hyde, III; her niece, Lisa Anne Butler, nephew, Brett Butler, and their several children. Anne is preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Thomas A. Hyde (who passed at the height of COVID in December 2020), her brother, William Grady "Bill" Butler, and her parents, Katherine Jackson Butler and Col. Grady Wolfe Butler (Ret.).

Anne and Tom will be inurned together in the Naval Academy Columbarium after a private family service. A Celebration of Life for both Anne and Tom will be held on May 9 th at 12:00pm at the Racquet Club of Midland. All friends and family are welcome. Please RSVP to info@nvrdul.com at least two days prior to secure seating.

The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the nurses and staff that took care of Anne over these last few years, allowing her to live in her home until she passed, as well as to the doctors and staff at Midland Memorial Hospital that took care of both Anne and Tom, and to the Nalley-Pickle & Welch Funeral home for their care and professionalism in handling the funeral arrangements.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution General Fund (https://www.dar.org/support-dar/giving-opportunities/donate-online) and in honor of Tom Hyde to The Texas Society of Mayflower Descendants (https://www.texasmayflower.com). Online condolences may be made at www.npwelch.com.

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