David L. Butler

David L. Butler, 75, of Willimantic passed away on Friday, February 11, 2011 after a short illness. David was born on November, 25, 1935 in Syracuse, NY. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Justine "Tina" Butler; his daughter Colleen and her husband Jerry Moy of Redmond, WA; his sons David A. and his wife Pamela of North Haven, CT, and Matthew and his wife Suzette of Willimantic, CT; five grandchildren; and his sister Doreen Butler, currently residing at Douglas Manor in Windham, CT. He was pre-deceased by his parents, Donald and Marjorie Butler and brother Miller Butler. David served in the N.Y. National Guard and in the U.S. Air Force. He graduated magna-cum-laude from Syracuse University, and studied for Masters and Doctoral degrees. Early in his professional career, David taught Spanish Language and Literature at several colleges and universities. In later years he retrained to become a computer programmer, and retired from the Aetna insurance company in 1999. Dave had many and varied interests, including languages, music, theater, and politics. He was a long-time member of the First United Methodist Church of Mansfield, CT, Eastern Star Lodge #44 of the Masonic Fraternity, and was active in the Windham Theater Guild. He also served on the Willimantic Zoning Board and was a member of the local Republican Town Committee. Dave's intelligence, humor, gentle spirit, and kindness will be greatly missed but always remembered by all who knew and loved him. His family will receive friends and relatives on Friday, February 25, 2011 from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. at the Potter Funeral Home, 456 Jackson St., (Rte. 195) Willimantic. Funeral services will be Saturday, February 26th at 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church, 29 Puddin Lane, Mansfield. Burial will be private in the New Willimantic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in his honor to organizations that were important to David, including the First United Methodist Church of Mansfield, CT, the Windham Theater Guild, the Masonic lodge, or the Alzheimer's Association. Please visit www.potterfuneralhome.com for online memorial guest book.