Jinni Lee Butz (Hayes), age 47, of New Castle, Delaware passed away suddenly on August 31st, 2025.  Born in Wilmington, Jinni was the beloved daughter of Nancy (Aram) and Richard Hayes.  She attended Padua Academy, graduated from William Penn High School, and received her bachelor's degree in education from Wilmington University.  Born with a lifelong love of teaching, she went on to teach at various schools in Brandywine School District, including P.S. DuPont Middle School, for many years.  Jinni was also an avid Philadelphia sports fan who almost always had her pink Eagles, Flyers, Union or Phillies ball cap on, and was an amazing and creative cook who could look at fresh ingredients and make a dazzling meal.  She was also active in her community, volunteering for years with the Junior League of Wilmington, including serving as its President, volunteering at her church, Christ Church in Christiana Hundred, and, more recently, working with shelter dogs at Humane Animal Partners.  Above all, the greatest joy in her life was her two sons and the memories they made together.  Jinni possessed a curious mind with an artistic streak, was a fiercely devoted mother with a charitable soul, and always looked forward to the annual family vacations to Hilton Head, South Carolina.  She was a firm advocate for her students and fellow teachers, and offered compassion and assistance to anyone she could.  Her impact on the communities she lived in and the students and friends who knew her cannot be understated.  The world is a dimmer place without her light.

Jinni is survived by her children, Nathaniel A. and Oliver S. Butz, who are in the care of their father, Daniel and his wife, Heidi; her parents, Nancy and Richard Hayes; her partner, Ray Siciliano; her sister, Dawn Hayes Roth; her cousins, Jack and Alex Roth; her uncle, Courtland Hunter; and countless friends and colleagues who will miss her deeply.  She is predeceased by her brother, Robert Hayes; and her great grandmother, Lila Lee Hart; and her uncles, Emory and Stephen Hunter.

A visitation will be held on Saturday September 13th from 9:30 A.M. to 11 A.M. with funeral services to begin at 11 A.M. at the Mealey Funeral Home, 2509 Limestone Road, Wilmington, DE 19808 . Burial will be held privately for the family.  In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions in Jinni's memory to the Humane Animal Partners, Attn: Philanthropy Team, 455 Stanton Christiana Road, Newark, DE 19713 or to the teachers and staff of the Brandywine School District to support the students there she loved so much.

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