Scottsdale, Arizona - Albert Morris "Butch" Coury passed peacefully into eternal life on December 4, 2024, at home, surrounded by his family.

Butch was born on March 31, 1944, in Mesa, Arizona, to

Tony M. Coury, Sr., and Carmen Celaya Coury. He attended

Queen of Peace Parochial School for 8 years, and then

graduated from Mesa High School in 1962. Butch fondly

recounted stories of serving as an altar boy at early morning

Mass at Queen of Peace and performing various odd jobs at his

family's auto dealership (including managing soda vending

machines).

Butch attended the University of San Diego for college,

graduating with a Bachelor's Degree in Business in 1966.

Thereafter, he earned his Juris Doctor Degree from the

University of San Diego Law School in 1970. Butch was always

proud that he was the first member of his family to earn a law

degree. After several years of practicing law as an Assistant

Attorney General with the Arizona Attorney General's Office,

he ventured into business. Butch was a visionary. He had a

passion for, and interest in, real estate and land development.

Butch earnestly turned this passion into reality by developing

over 14 real estate projects in Mesa and the West Valley,

including Riviera Plaza (which housed Mesa's first Fry's

grocery store), Executive Square, Century Square, Regal

Square, and Mesa's high-rise Hilton Pavilion hotel which

helped change the landscape of Mesa. He shared his passion

for real estate with his community, serving on Mesa's Planning

and Zoning Board for a number of years.

Butch's affection for business did not detract from his devotion

to, and forward thinking when promoting, numerous

charitable projects, many of which he contributed freely to the

Catholic Diocese of Phoenix. Donating his time and talents, he

led the construction team that built the present church at

Christ the King Catholic Parish in Mesa during the 1980s.

Butch also enthusiastically contributed to the development of

Holy Cross Catholic Church in (then) East Mesa by locating

the land for the present church at the request of the Bishop of

Phoenix. Additionally, he played a prominent role in the

expansion of Seton Catholic High School in Chandler, and

spearheaded the vision and construction of the new parish

center and gymnasium at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in

Scottsdale. Butch was the driving force behind the

development of a water well on the grounds of the Franciscan

Renewal Center in Paradise Valley.

A devout Catholic, Butch attended Mass and prayed the

Rosary daily. This did not pause when traveling; indeed, even

when planning his vacations, Butch added church visits and

Mass times to his travel itinerary. Butch inspired family and

friends with his strong devotion to the Blessed Mother. He was

known to gift friends and relatives pocket rosaries that he

acquired and had blessed at the Vatican. In addition, in 1983,

he and his wife, Mary Diane, were inducted as a Knight and

Dame in the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of

Jerusalem.

Although he loved traveling to Italy and the Vatican, Butch

had a special affinity and love for Maui, Hawaii. His definition

of "paradise" included swimming in the ocean, enjoying ripe

papaya and pineapple, dining on fresh fish caught in local

Hawaiian waters, and lounging on Kaanapali Beach on a

sunny summer day.

Butch enjoyed sports and loved to support his teams. He

instilled this affinity into his kids early in life, taking them to

numerous ASU football and basketball games. He loved the

perfect challenge of finding tickets to, and then attending, big

games. Over the years, Butch enjoyed some monumental sports

games with friends and family, including the first Arizona

Cardinals home game, the first Arizona Diamondbacks game,

all four games of the 2001 World Series, the 1987 Fiesta Bowl

National Championship game, and the 1996 ASU shutout over

Nebraska. Once his children attended the University of Notre

Dame and St. Mary's College, Butch became an avid Notre

Dame football fan. Over the years, he attended epic Notre

Dame football games, including the 1988 Miami and USC games,

the 1989 Fiesta Bowl National Championship, the 1993 Florida State "Game of the Century," the 2012 Stanford "goal line stand" game, and the 2022 Shamrock Series game in Las Vegas.

As much as Butch enjoyed business, travel, and sports, his love

for his family surpassed all. He relished the opportunity to host

family Easter celebrations (featuring hundreds of grilled lamb

chops seasoned by him personally) and yearly enjoyed pulling

April Fools' Day pranks. However, Butch's joy was Christmas.

He loved giving gifts and made it his mission to make

Christmas special for his family and friends. When his

nephews and nieces were young, he found fun Christmas Eve

gifts for each of them. And then, once he had grandchildren,

Butch worked tirelessly between Thanksgiving and Christmas

to convert his garage into what became known as "Papa's

Workshop" - a wonderland for his grandkids to enjoy that was

filled with endless Christmas lights and decorations (and

presents too!). He particularly cherished surprising his

grandchildren with gifts that had wheels and with the coolest

toys of the year.

Butch is survived by his wife, Mary Diane, his four children,

Chris Coury (Renee), Anthony Coury, Jonathan Coury, and

Lisa Heroux (Matt), and his 11 grandchildren (Katie Coury,

Ryan Coury, Joseph Coury, Ben Coury, Talia Coury, Jack

Coury, Sonny Coury, Franco Coury, Luc Heroux, Grace

Heroux, and Zac Heroux). His wife, children, and

grandchildren were the light of his life. Butch absolutely

delighted in each member of his family and in learning about

and living their activities.

Butch is preceded in death by his parents, Tony M. Coury, Sr.,

and Carmen Celaya Coury, and his brother Joseph, his

grandparents Moses (Moussa) and Salima (Shia) Coury, Belen

and Pastora (Rubio) Celaya, his parents in-law Joseph Maggio

and Nina Lee Maggio, his brothers in-law Edward Recker,

Alex Chucri, Sr., Carl Joseph Maggio, his sister in-law, Stefani

Maggio, and his nephew Joseph Chucri. He also is survived by

his siblings Leo Recker, Antho Delmanowski (Ron), Tony

Coury, Jr. (Marie), Bill Coury, and Carolyn Brehany (Ralph),

by over 35 nephews and nieces, and by numerous cousins, all of whom he loved.

A Visitation and a Rosary will be held at the Whitney &

Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Road in

Phoenix on Wednesday, December 11, 2024, at 5:00 p.m. A

funeral Mass will be held at Our Lady of the Angels

Conventual Church at the Franciscan Renewal Center, 5802 E.

Lincoln Drive in Paradise Valley on Thursday, December 12,

2024, at 10:00 a.m. A private family burial will follow at a later

time. Condolences may be expressed at

www.whitneymurphyfuneralhome.com .

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made

to the Franciscan Renewal Center in honor of Albert Coury.

https://www.thecasa.org/donate