Roger Dainwood Butler

Selma businessman and jeweler Roger Dainwood Butler died on January 13, 2026. He was born January 10, 1938, the son of Roger Coleman Butler, Jr., and Willilou Howell Grubbs. He attended Selma public schools and graduated from Albert G. Parrish High School in 1956. He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from the University of Alabama. While there, he was a member of Phi Delta Theta fraternity and was inducted into Alpha Epsilon Rho honorary society. He also participated in ROTC and was selected as a distinguished military student.

While in high school, Roger produced a popular Sunday afternoon radio show called “Old Uncle Ned.” Using a falsetto voice, he read and explained the funny papers. Also during a summer break in college, he worked as a page at ABC studios in New York.

Upon graduation, he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army Signal Corps and was stationed at the Army Pictorial Center in New York City where he was a training film producer. During the Berlin Crisis of 1961, he was reassigned to a communication center in downtown Paris, France. He spent approximately a year each in New York and in Paris.

In 1962, Roger was married to the love of his life and best friend Doris (Dolly) Gray. After receiving an honorary discharge in 1962, he and Dolly returned to Selma, and he worked briefly for WRWJ and WHBB radio stations. In 1963, he was invited to manage the I. J. Hix Jewelry store. In 1964, he and Dolly bought out the other partners, and they later renamed the store Roger Butler Jewelers. They worked together in the jewelry store and traveled extensively in search of bargains in diamonds and other fine jewelry. When he retired in 2003, the store had 25 employees. He once said, “I never thought much about making money. My ambition was to be respected as an honest, kind, and successful businessman.”

Roger thought New York and Paris were wonderful, but he truly loved Selma and serving his community. He served as president of the following community organizations: Chamber of Commerce, Rotary Club, United Way, Selma Credit Bureau, and The Downtown Selma Association. He was chairman of the board of Church Street United Methodist Church and the Salvation Army Advisory Board. He served on the board of the Selma Branch of AmSouth Bank and the Vaughn Medical Foundation. Statewide, he was president of the Alabama Jewelers Association and served on the board of directors of the Methodist Children’s Homes of Alabama. Roger was a Graduate Gemologist, an American Gem Society Certified Gemologist, and was honored with the lifetime membership award of the Alabama Jewelers Association. He was also a member of the Sons and Daughters of the Pilgrims.

Roger is survived by his wife Dolly, daughter Doris Butler and her fiancé Brooks Robins, grandson Andrew Truax, sister Judy Butler Moore and her fiancé Norman Henry McCrummen III, brother-in-law Johnny Gray, and many nieces and nephews.

His funeral will be held on Friday, January 16, at 1:00 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church. Visitation begins at 12:00 in the Lower Hall. The Reverends Amy George and Henry Hudson will officiate.

Pallbearers will include Andrew Truax, Robbie Gray, Patrick Whetstone, Pierce Griffith, Coleman Griffith, Sal Barranco, and Aaron Bauer.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to a Selma charity of choice.