Biography

Marjorie Mae Havens was born in 1924 in rural Todd County, South Dakota to Susie Ekleberry Havens and Alfred Havens. She was one of seven daughters. In 1937, the family moved to Marshalltown, Iowa for better conditions during the Great Depression. Soon after moving to Iowa, the family joined the Nazarene Church, and the five oldest Havens daughters, who became known as the “Havens Girls”, sang on a radio program put on by the church. Havens graduated from Montour High School in 1942.

After graduating from high school, Havens attended the Iowa Teacher’s College (now the University of Northern Iowa) in Cedar Falls, Iowa. She completed a 12-week teaching program and became certified to teach in rural one-room schoolhouses. She taught in various schools across Poweshiek County and Tama County until Iowa closed all one-room schoolhouses in 1966.

In 1945, Havens began writing letters to Tom Yandell, a former high school classmate and member of the Marine Corps who was serving in the Southern Pacific theater during WWII. After he returned, the two were engaged and later married in 1951. He passed away from a construction accident at work in 1952. She remained close with the Yandell family after her husband’s passing.

She met her second husband Russel “Dean” Butters at the Marshall Printing Company, where they both worked. They got married in 1956 in Iowa City and had two daughters, Susan and Andrea. Andrea passed away at the age of 16 from cystic fibrosis.

Beginning in 1987, Butters and her sisters began coordinating “Havens Sisters” reunions for every other year. She gave talks about her life at various women’s clubs across the state. She remained active in her church and sang in the choir for decades.

Marjorie Butters passed away in 2017.

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