lit a candle 4h agoUsed to get her brittle every year at the fall festival when I was a kid, my grandmother always stopped at that booth first thing. 69 years old and crossing a road at Oktoberfest. That's just wrong.
Their story
Donna Jo Butler, known across Cullman County, Alabama as the "Brittle Lady," died on October 1, 2026, after being struck by two vehicles while crossing a road in Cullman. She was 69 years old. <cite index="1-10">Donna was born on July 19th, 1957, in Cullman to her late parents.</cite> <cite index="9-7">She…
Donna Jo Butler, known across Cullman County, Alabama as the "Brittle Lady," died on October 1, 2026, after being struck by two vehicles while crossing a road in Cullman. She was 69 years old.
<cite index="1-10">Donna was born on July 19th, 1957, in Cullman to her late parents.</cite> <cite index="9-7">She was preceded in death by her parents, Gordon E. and Virginia Hollis.</cite> <cite index="1-14,1-15">Before selling her brittle, Donna was employed by Nicholson File, as well as Mercedes-Benz. She was known to be very independent and enjoyed handling tasks by herself.</cite> <cite index="1-16">Prior to her work, she was also a proud graduate of the 1975 batch at Hanceville High School.</cite>
<cite index="1-11,1-12">Known as the "Brittle Lady," Donna was well-known for her famed brittle. She found joy in making the brittle, as well as meeting people who came to buy it.</cite> <cite index="1-13">Whoever came up to her brittle booth was never a stranger to her, and she greeted every customer with warmth and tenderness.</cite> <cite index="2-9">Donna's Brittle was a well-known staple at area festivals and markets.</cite> Away from her booth, <cite index="1-17">Donna enjoyed a plethora of activities, loving to ride Harley Davidson motorcycles with David, fishing, watching sunsets, and taking any chance to go on a trip.</cite> She was also a member of Temple Baptist Church.
<cite index="2-10">Butler was a vendor at Oktoberfest on Thursday, Oct. 1.</cite> That evening, <cite index="6-9,6-10,6-11,6-12">an Infiniti G37X was traveling southbound when it hit Butler, who was walking westbound across the road, and following the initial collision, Butler was also struck by an oncoming Ford F-150. Butler was taken to the hospital where she was pronounced dead.</cite> <cite index="6-13">The Cullman Police Department's Traffic Homicide Unit is investigating, and police said no additional information will be released at this time.</cite>
<cite index="1-19">Donna is survived by her husband, David H. Butler, and children Chris Putman, Kyle (Simret) Putman, Katie (Aaron) Birt, Kristi (Zac) Wood, and Kelsie (Wesley) Mayfield</cite>, along with grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. <cite index="2-11,2-12">A celebration of life was held for Butler on Tuesday, Oct. 6, at 6 p.m. at Hanceville Funeral Home, with a gathering held prior to services at 5 p.m.</cite> The news of her death moved the Cullman community, where her brittle stand had been a familiar and well loved sight at local festivals for years.
Biography adapted from News reports and the sources cited on this page; death reported by Yellowhammer News.
Photos
1by People Forever
Same, my mom still has the little bags she used to put it in