Butler—Lindley Smith Butler, 82, on April 12, 2022, at Friends Homes in Greensboro, N.C. Lindley was born on June 15, 1939, to Reginald Alton Butler and Martha Julia Smith Butler in Leaksville (now Eden), N.C. He grew up on the banks of the Dan River, making his own boats and navigating the waterway as a boy. His hobbies included canoeing, tubing, and sailing. His favorite exercise was swimming.
Knowing from an early age that he wanted to be a historian, Lindley earned his PhD in history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and became an accomplished North Carolina historian, publishing many books and articles. His last book was A History of North Carolina in the Proprietary Era, 1629–1729, published a few weeks before he died.
Lindley’s teaching career began as an intern at High Point High School where he met Lelia “T” Clinard, who was a student in his class. Following her graduation from college, they married on March 5, 1966. T and Lindley began their married life on an archaeological dig in Israel, the first of many international excursions.
Lindley and T had two sons, Thomas and William. His sons grew up with an engaged father who supported and guided them, celebrated their accomplishments and joys, took great pride in their pursuits, and played, laughed, and generally had a good time with them.
Lindley served as Scoutmaster for his sons’ troop, weaving water-based activities into the troop culture. He became a decorated leader, earning the Distinguished Eagle award. He was the lead historian on the recovery of Blackbeard’s Queen Anne’s Revenge shipwreck project, where he blended scuba diving on the site with detailed excavation of historical records to make the unequivocal link between artifacts, dates, and the infamous pirate.
Lindley became a member of the Religious Society of Friends through the influence of T, whose Quaker roots are deep in North Carolina. In 1970, Lindley and T were among the founders of Rockingham County Meeting, a preparative meeting under the care of New Garden Meeting in Greensboro. They worshiped and built community at Rockingham County Meeting for more than 50 years.
Lindley was a devoted and inspiring teacher, reaching thousands of students over nearly 30 years as historian-in-residence at Rockingham Community College. His advocacy for the history and culture of Rockingham County led to archaeological excavations along the Dan River and at his home of 51 years, North Fork Farm. He was a founder of the Museum and Archives of Rockingham County. Lindley was cofounder of the award-winning Dan River Basin Association, a nonprofit dedicated to the preservation of culture and nature that has established numerous parks, trails, and river accesses. He was instrumental in advocating for and establishing the Mayo River State Park. This led to his induction into the Order of the Long Leaf Pine by Governor Roy Cooper.
Lindley shared a love of international travel, food, movies, art, music, games, UNC basketball, and his adored collies—all loves which live on in his children and grandchildren today.
In the spring of 2022, Lindley and T moved into a cottage at Friends Homes. At the time of Lindley’s death, they were in the process of establishing membership at New Garden Meeting.
Lindley is survived by his wife, T Butler; two children, Thomas Lindley Butler (Gloria Estes Butler) and William Hale Butler (Rachel Atkin Christensen); two grandchildren; one brother, Robert Alton Butler; and numerous nephews and nieces.
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