July 28, 1942 – December 3, 2023
Larry “Butch” R. Houston, 81, of Bedford, passed away at 11:07 p.m. on December 3, 2023.
Born July 28, 1942, he was the son of Oran “Sam” R. and Helen Marie (Lewis) Houston. He married Barbara Matuga on November 12, 1966, in Indianapolis, and she survives.
Butch was a graduate of Bedford High School with the class of 1960 and graduated from Oakland City
University, Bedford Campus, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Human Resources Management in 2005. He
also attended Scottsdale Community College and Indiana University. He was a member of the Bedford
First United Methodist Church, Fraternal Order of Police, American Legion Gillen Post 33, and was a
charter member of the Fayetteville Community Lions Club.
Butch was a patrolman for the Bedford Police Department from 1977-2004. Before this, he was a Police
Officer in Phoenix, AZ, and graduated from the Phoenix Law Enforcement Academy. The years from 1965 until 1976, he worked for Indiana Bell Telephone in Bedford and Mountain Bell Telephone Company in Phoenix. Butch was a veteran of the United States Navy, serving during the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Surviving to cherish the memory of Butch are his loving wife, Barbara Ann (Matuga) Houston of Bedford; daughter, Krista (Tom) Parnin of Hendersonville, TN; grandsons, Noah and Joshua Parnin of Hendersonville, TN; sister, Sammie Kay (Jim) Polley of Bedford; cousin, Nancy Goodman of Toledo, Ohio; sisters-in-law, Pam Matuga of Knoxville, TN and Joan Kondratick of Rockville, MD; along with countless nieces and nephews and his pet “Henry”.
Preceding Butch in death are his daughter, Rebecca (Becky) Suzanne Houston; parents; sister, Janice
Ford; and brothers-in-law, Bill Ford, Richard Matuga, Joe Matuga, and Metro Kondratick.
Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Monday, December 11, 2023, at the Ferguson-Lee Chapel of Thorne-George Family Funeral Homes with Pastor Kenneth Walden and Pastor Judi Early officiating. Interment will follow in the Cresthaven Memory Gardens Mausoleum. Visitation will be held from 2:00 p.m. until 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, December 10, 2023, and from 10:00 a.m. Monday until the service hour, also at the Ferguson-Lee Chapel.
Memorial contributions may be made in Butch’s memory to the Rebecca “Becky” Suzanne Houston Memorial Scholarship Fund or the Fayetteville Community Lions Club.
Remembrances and condolences may be shared online at www.FergusonLee.com.
