Gordon “Butch” Houf, 77, longtime resident of Mexico, passed away on Monday, October 23, 2023, surrounded by his family at Phelps Hospital in Sleepy Hollow, N.Y.
He was born on June 17, 1946, in Wendell, Idaho to Harry and Betty Houf and was raised in Wellsville. He married his beloved wife Jane Anne Holliday on January 25, 1969. She survives at their home in New York. He also leaves behind three daughters, Amy (Bill) Weber of Hastings-on-Hudson, N.Y., Lynn (Dan) Arcuri of LaGrange Park, Ill., and Emily (Andy Bennett) Houf of Peekskill, N.Y.; four grandchildren, William and Jane Weber, and Elise and Grace Arcuri; and two brothers, Jim (Lillie) Houf and Danny Houf.
Butch graduated from Wellsville-Middletown R1 High School in 1964, and earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering from the University of Missouri at Rolla. After working for the Kansas Department of Transportation, he spent several years working for Green Construction Company in Al Khobar and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Prudhoe Bay, Alaska. In 1979, he returned to Missouri to establish Harry H. Houf and Sons Contractors with his father. Butch ran the company for many years alongside his brothers, building roads and bridges across the state of Missouri. He was a member of the Associated General Contractors of America and the American Society of Civil Engineers.
Butch was known for his quiet intelligence, dry wit, and card playing abilities. He was a member of First Christian Church of Mexico and Rotary Club International, as well as a steadfast Democrat. He was an avid golfer, gardener, and collector, particularly of American Brilliant Cut glass, rocks and fossils.
A visitation will be held at Arnold Funeral Home on Sat., Nov. 4 at 10:30 a.m. followed by a service at 11:30 a.m. Memorial contributions may be made to Audrain County Crisis Intervention Services (ACCIS) or Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York.
Online condolences may be left at www.arnoldfh.com
