Alicia Suarez Butler Eller, resident of Louisburg, North Carolina since 1963, passed away peacefully at Franklin Oaks Nursing Home in the early morning of May 26, 2025. A loving and much loved wife and mother, she will long be remembered as a teacher, dancer, musician (guitar and accordion), and vocalist. She had a special talent for teaching and over the years touched the lives of two generations of Franklin County youth through her Spanish classes, Franklin County Arts Council grants, and children's choir (Joyful Singers) at Louisburg Methodist Church.

Alicia was born in the south-central town of Angol, Chile, to Rosa and Arnaldo Suarez on January 16, 1943. The family, including four year-old sister Lilian were active members of the local Methodist church where Arnaldo served as violinist and Rosa was the organist. Arnaldo also taught agriculture at the local school. The family was very actively involved with a nearby Methodist conference center in an otherwise predominantly Catholic country, and much of their education and social life was centered there. The children grew up in a cottage that Arnaldo and his brothers and friends built. Situated in an orchard, the house featured a long driveway bordered by a great variety of flowers, and there were numerous fruit trees in the orchard, a vegetable garden, chickens, beehives, two horses (Trigger and Rocinante) that the girls would ride, a dog named Todo, and a small Clorox factory. Arnoldo and Rosa were extremely busy parents, and the girls thrived in this idyllic environment. The house and family survived the strongest earthquake ever recorded, a 9.3 on the Richter scale. Alicia remembered that the poplar trees were swaying all the way to the ground as the earth buckled and the family sought protection within the door frames. One of their neighbors who owned a grocery store moved in with them for a while as he rebuilt his store that the quake destroyed.

As Alicia grew older, she attended the all-girl normal school to prepare to be a teacher and rode back and forth on a Vespa scooter. She also helped her family make wooden toys for the less fortunate children in town. They would deliver the toys on bicycles at Christmas. Lilian married one of the Methodist missionaries, Charles Owens, and the two of them moved to North Carolina. Later, when Alicia graduated from normal school, she decided to join them. Shortly thereafter, at the age of nineteen and encouraged by Charles, Alicia enrolled in Louisburg College. There she thrived and was voted the 1964 May Queen. She also met and fell in love with a handsome young English professor, Robert Butler, whom she married upon graduation at the age of twenty one. The wedding ceremony was officiated by the president of the College, Dr. Cecil W. Robbins, and several faculty members encouraged and supported the happy union. During their eighteen year marriage, they had two wonderful children, Martha and Tony, both of whom followed their parents in the teaching profession.

Alicia enrolled in Meredith College where, after several years of commuting between Louisburg and Raleigh, she graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in Spanish and a minor in art. She was also honored with the Best Secondary School Practice Teacher Award.

Upon graduation from Meredith, Alicia began her teaching career as a fourth grade teacher at Gold Sand Elementary School in Franklin County where she taught from 1970 to 1974. She accepted the position of Spanish teacher at Louisburg High School in 1975 and taught there until retirement in 2001. There, she received the 1981 Teacher of the Year award and enjoyed the friendship and interaction with her colleagues.

One of the true pleasures of her retired life was to encounter a former student who would engage her in an interesting memory about those early years at Gold Sand or later, at Louisburg High ... maybe learning the "Cha-Cha" for a school assembly, taking a cruise ship to the Caribbean or a bus to St. Augustine and Disney World, or maybe just riding on the Spanish Club Christmas float down Main Street in the Louisburg Christmas Parade. She always encouraged her students to expand their outlook.

And, she practiced what she preached. Her life was filled with constructive community involvement. Her music talent was recognized in 1999 when she was awarded Franklin County Artist of the Year. After retiring from teaching, Alicia stayed busy writing a weekly article for The Franklin Times, translating for various community agencies such as the hospital, social services and the court system, and teaching Spanish part time for fifteen years at Louisburg College.

In addition, she directed the children's choir at Louisburg United Methodist Church where she was a dedicated member of the Chancel Choir and Chancel Chimers (bell choir). In 1998, she was awarded a first-place blue ribbon in the state senior games for music talent (guitar, accordion, vocals), and first-place in clogging at a dance contest in Norfolk, Virginia, with the Louisburg School of Dance under the direction of Terri Dement.

Alicia is survived by her husband of 37 years, Craig; daughter, Martha Butler Murray; son, Anthony A. Butler; stepdaughter, Jamie Eller Patrick (Jason); sister Lilian Gillum (Robert); grandson, Capt. Joseph Murray (Rafi); granddaughter, Monica Murray Heath (Brady); step-grandson, Noah S. Patrick; and numerous nephews and nieces.

A celebration of life service will be held at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 21, 2025 at Louisburg United Methodist Church, 402 North Main Street Louisburg, NC.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to LUMC or St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. A private inurnment will be held at a later date.

Paid obituary