Obituary

Albert L. Butler, III, of Winston-Salem, NC, passed away on January 26, 2023, at the age of 64. Born on February 25, 1958, to the late Martha Ann Glenn and William Medearis Butler, Albert grew up in Winston-Salem and was the youngest of four boys. He graduated from Woodberry Forest School and the University of North Carolina. It was on the first day in Chapel Hill that Albert met the love of his life, Agnes Sabiston, and married her in 1981. They raised two boys across North Carolina, eventually settling back in Winston-Salem.

Albert joined Wachovia (Wells Fargo) in 1980. He was a highly respected banker for 42 years and retired in 2022 with many plans ahead. Albert valued building consensus at home, work, and in the community. He served on the boards of Senior Services Foundation, the North Carolina Zoological Society, the New Winston Museum, Roaring Gap Club, and Old Town Club, among others. He regularly delivered Meals on Wheels with his friends for 25 years.

Albert had a big heart, a quick wit, and a dry sense of humor. He was known for his financial acumen, attention to detail, and dedication to his commitments. Albert cherished his friends and the time that they shared together. He tried to love golf, but it did not always love him back. Thankfully, he found fly fishing and casted lines with his sons, his brother (Buck), his wife (sometimes), and many friends in the rivers of the Blue Ridge, the Rockies, New Zealand, and, most recently, Argentina, where he landed his biggest-ever brown trout. Later in life, Albert learned to share his wife's love of traveling without a fly rod, and relished their adventures to Africa, Italy, Portugal, Provence, and South America, among many others.

Far and above all else, Albert loved his wife, his boys, and their families. He was known as "Albie" to his three granddaughters who simply adored him. The summers with his family in Roaring Gap, NC brought Albert his greatest joys and memories.

Albert is survived by his wife of 42 years, Agnes, his two sons, David Sabiston Butler (Lydia) and William "Bill" Medearis Butler (Kelsey), his three granddaughters, Ellie, Laine, and Betsy. He also is survived by his sisters-in-law, Missy Butler, Ellon Butler, Anne Leggett (Reid), Sarah Sabiston, and seven nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his three brothers, William "Buck" Medearis Butler, Jr., Joseph Glenn Butler, and James "Jimmy" Archer Butler, and his nephew, Robert Glenn Butler.