Rosalie Butler, seated center, celebrated her 103rd birthday July 13 with a barbecue with her family at the home of her son Ken Butler. Photo courtesy Ken Butler.
Rosalie Butler marked the occasion with a barbecue at Butler’s home in Benicia. “She said that she loved the barbecue. She still has an amazing appetite,” Kenneth said.
“She was especially thrilled by the special birthday cards prepared by her great-granddaughters, Paige and Brooke Butler,” he said.
Rosalie may have moved to Benicia in 1940, but her family ties to the San Francisco Bay Area date back to the 1760s, when her maternal family came to the area long before California was a state, Kenneth said.
“The Chabolla family was started by Marcos Chabolla, who was a soldier with the De Anza Expedition which explored northern Mexico and California during the mid 1700s for the King of Spain,” he said.
The family petitioned for a land grant, which was awarded by then-Governor Jose Figeroa, he said. “The grant was titled Rancho Yerba Buena, and contained approximately 24,000 acres of land,” he said.
A wealthy landowner, Marcos Chabolla became one of the first settlers at Pueblo de San Jose Guadalupe, and helped build the pueblo and Mission Santa Clara.
He also was appointed the first mayor, or alcade, of Pueblo de San Jose in 1796. Later the family would change the spelling of its name to Chaboya.
Rosalie was born in San Jose July 13, 1912, as Rosalie Ramona Corbal. She is the daughter of Frank and Augusta Chaboya Corbal, Kenneth said.
In 1934, she married Vernald R. Butler, also of San Jose.
The couple moved to Benicia, where Vernald was hired as a mechanic.
In 1940, Rosalie also was hired at the Arsenal, where she worked in the safety equipment shop, providing and repairing safety glasses and related equipment.
The couple had four children, the late Patricia Cramer of Benicia; Nadine Sisk, of Joplin, Mo.; and sons Kenneth and his brother Robert, of Fresno. They also had 11 grandchildren and 15 great-grandchildren.
The couple’s careers at the Arsenal ended when the Army closed the weapons base in 1964. Vernald retired as an equipment inspector at the Arsenal, and died in 1990.
After Vern retired, the couple also decided to travel, visiting Europe, Hawai’i and Canada, Kenneth said.
In addition, she has enjoyed knitting, crocheting and being involved in Benicia Senior Center activities, he said. In her recent years, she has moved to an elderly care home, which she shares with four other women.
Meanwhile, after her own retirement, Rosalie took up cake decorating, Kenneth said.
“Cake decorating was a hobby, but soon became a small business,” Kenneth said. “She charged a fee, which usually just covered her actual cost.”
“She is well-known for the beautiful wedding and special occasion cakes that she decorated for local residents for a number of years,” Kenneth said. “She also taught cake decorating classes in Benicia and Vallejo, and won numerous awards for decorating excellence.”
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