90 MAY-JUNE 2026 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL In 1991 Mr. Butcher retired to Grand Junction, Colo., where he helped found the local chapter of the World Affairs Council, mentored students, and pursued his love of football, including as head coach at Battle Mountain High School in 2001. After the couple moved back to Arlington, Va., in 2015, Mr. Butcher happily devoted his time and attention to his grandchildren. A few days before he died, his family gathered to celebrate his life. Mr. Butcher is survived by his wife of 62 years, Barbara Needham Butcher; their sons, retired FSO Duane Jr. (and spouse, Nazilia) and Christopher (and spouse, Ali); grandchildren, Blaze, Kennan, Cameron, Eric, and Grace; sister, Donna Beville, and brother, retired FSO Larry (and spouse, Suzanne); and nieces and nephews across the United States. n Steven Matthew Dyokas, 57, an active-duty Foreign Service officer, died unexpectedly on December 26, 2025, after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage. Born on October 12, 1968, Mr. Dyokas was an Illinois native. He graduated from Benet Academy in Lisle, Ill., and enrolled at the University of Notre Dame, earning a BA in history. He later received a JD degree from Loyola University in Chicago and became a member of the Illinois Bar. After teaching English in Japan through the JET Program, Mr. Dyokas joined the U.S. Foreign Service in 2002. During the ensuing years, he met the love of his life, Junko Takahashi, and the couple married in 2005. Their son, Ken, was born in 2016. At the State Department, Mr. Dyokas completed overseas assignments in Japan, China, Montenegro, and Australia, serving in the interims with the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, the Bureau of Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs, and the Bureau of Economic and Business Affairs in Washington, D.C. At the time of his passing, Mr. Dyokas was economic counselor in Vietnam. Colleagues recall that he was a leader of rare caliber, who had the unique ability to build and motivate teams while remaining dedicated to the well-being of each individual member. His intelligence and quick wit made the most demanding days feel manageable, they recall, and he proved that performing high-stakes work for the country is best done with a smile. Friends and family also remember Mr. Dyokas as a devoted father who spent many happy hours playing, reading, listening to music, visiting cultural institutions, and enjoying nature in the company of his child. In addition to wide-ranging work obligations, he made time for recreational travel and took pleasure in bringing home souvenirs and treats from the many places he visited. Mr. Dyokas was preceded in death by his father, Val Dyokas, and father-in-law, Ken Takahashi. He is survived by his wife, Junko; son, Ken; mother, Mary Ellen Dyokas; mother-in-law, Masako Takahashi; sister, Maureen Stabile, her husband, Rick Stabile, and their sons, Pietro and Marco; a sister- and brother-in-law, Kyoko and Chris Filosa; and many cousins, colleagues, and friends. Extended family members and friends are invited to commemorate Mr. Dyokas’ life in the following ways. First, please join your state’s organ donor registry. To know that his death will give life to others brings great consolation to Mr. Dyokas’ immediate family. Second, a gift may be made in his honor to St. Charles Catholic Church in Arlington, Va., where his son, Ken, was baptized (https://www.stcharleschurch. org/give), or to Advocate Christ Hospital, where Mr. Dyokas received medical attention at the end of his life (https:// www.advocatehealth.org/foundations/ advocate-aurora). A memorial will be held later in 2026. n Cynthia Stone Ely, 94, a Foreign Service spouse, died on December 30, 2025, in Oakland, Calif. Ms. Ely was born in Cambridge, Mass., on June 28, 1931, to Emmy P. Stone, an artist, and Marshall H. Stone, a world traveler and professor of mathematics at Harvard University and other eminent institutions who received the National Medal of Science from the Reagan administration. Her paternal grandfather, Harlan Fiske Stone, was named Chief Justice of the Supreme Court by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, a point of pride throughout Ms. Ely’s life. She attended the University of Chicago Lab School for the last two years of high school and then went to Radcliffe College, receiving a bachelor’s degree in fine arts in 1953. Ms. Ely worked in Washington, D.C., for three years at the CIA. In 1956 she married Foreign Service Officer M.E.C. Ely, and the couple served in Malaysia, Paris (twice), Algeria, Somalia, Canada, and Rome, as well as in Washington, D.C. The Paris stints featured opera, fashion, people-watching, and sightings of glitterati like Francis Bacon and Rudolf Nureyev. During her stay in Rome, Ms. Ely reveled in classical antiquity, the city’s soulful atmosphere, and of course delectable Italian food. She retained a love of travel beyond the Foreign Service, visiting friends and exploring new destinations in the Middle
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