Obituary of Dona "Butch" Barsalou

Dona (Butch) Slavin Barsalou was born September 23, 1930 in Salmon, Idaho to Milton Charles and Janice Edwards Slavin and passed away December 24, 2014 after a brief illness at the home of her caregiver, Cheryl Horner, near Salmon. Butch grew up on Carmen Creek with her brother, Milton E. and sister, Norma and attended school there, riding her horse back and forth each day to class. She graduated from Salmon High School with the class of 1948 and the University of Idaho in 1952 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Zoology. On October 17, 1955, she married Dale (Casey) Barsalou after his tour of duty in Korea. They eventually made their home in Carmen Creek and this union would last for 51 years until Casey passed away in 2006. They had one son, Tony, who died in infancy. Butch worked at Steele Memorial Hospital in the medical records department for over 35 years. Butch was an avid fisherman and liked to ski in her younger years. She had a love of all animals, including sheep, cattle, horses, dogs, and especially cats. Nothing made her happier than to have a house full of people to entertain. She loved to read and could always be found with a new novel in her hands and also played a mean game of pitch. Butch was a member of the Order of Eastern Star Hugh Duncan Chapter and Lemhi County Historical Society. Butch is survived by sister Norma Kobe; Nephews Jock Slavin, Sam Slavin, Bill Slavin, and Steve Gibson. She also had many good and close friends which are too numerous to mention. She was preceded in death by her parents; husband, Casey; brother, Milton Edwards Slavin; and infant son Tony. The family would like to give a special thanks to Cheryl Horner for her excellent care and compassion during the years Butch made her home with her. Memorial donations are suggested to Salmon Library Building Fund or the Lemhi County Historical Society. Butch requested no funeral services, but a Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.