Albert Morris Coury

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. 

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/?give=KJEZ2JE2