Frank Charlton Butler

      “Give me a problem and I'll hand you a solution.” Those who knew Francis Charlton Butler would agree that that motto accurately described him. Frank was a man of great drive and a very original, independent thinker. For Frank, no challenge was impossible, and just about any desired result was within his grasp. Frank placed great trust in his intuition. Since that intuition generally led him in the right direction, who was he to doubt it.

      During his grade school years, Frank was a very focused and serious student who actually enjoyed the challenge of many classroom problems. He was determined to succeed, and he drew upon his gifts of trust and perseverance to provide him with a competitive edge. While his first love might have been academics, Frank took part in running. Frank delighted in projects that required planning, critical thinking and resolution. Frank's memorable achievements included being a billiards "pool shark".

      Frank was loyal to his friends. He found that he was most in tune with people who had similar interests and thought about things much the way that he did. Frank sometimes had a tendency to be critical in his friendships but he was more interested in finding out what was right in a situation rather than in being mean toward others. He never intentionally set out to hurt any of his friends. Frank was a person who challenged others to fend for themselves and to be original in their thinking and evaluation of the outside world. While growing up, some of his best friends were Donald Duncan and George Robichard. Later in life, he became friends with Ron and Dennis Murphy.

      On May 12, 1951, Frank exchanged wedding vows with Norma Marion Carol Chamberlain at Reverend Steed's house in Toronto, Ontario. Carol's sensitivity to Frank's needs proved to be a wonderful influence on this man, who preferred to live in his “gut.” Carol's influence brought Frank to a new emotional level, one that eventually enhanced all of his other gifts and abilities. Carol was able to help Frank appreciate the fact that others made contributions and Frank became better at interacting with those around him. Because of this, Frank grew as a person.

      Frank often neglected his own feelings in order to give to others. This was very true when it came to how he dealt with his children. He was able to hand on to each child a number of strong values. He taught them to appreciate their abilities, gave them a desire to persevere despite obstacles and set within them a drive to succeed. He had three children, two sons, Joseph and John and one daughter, Judith. He also had six grandchildren, Stephanie, Kimberly, Kevin, James, Aaron and Sean. They were always aware of how much Frank loved them.

      During Frank's professional working years, he was at his best when working independently. It became the hallmark of his performance. Frank was generally able to refocus his drive and determination and readily work toward finding a way to get things done that was beneficial to himself and his co-workers. His primary occupation was Boilermaker Local 128. He was employed for 55 years in Boilermakers .

      For Frank, his outside interests and hobbies became another exercise in learning and mastering areas that interested him. He greatly enjoyed unraveling the "hows" and "whys" that lay behind his hobbies. Frank was always pushing himself to learn more and to stretch his knowledge base even further. He firmly believed that the more things that he knew the more control he would have over things. His favorite pursuits were Billiards, Golf and Fishing.

      Watching his favorite sporting events by himself was never a problem for Frank. It allowed him to indulge in his own individual interpretation of the events. It was not uncommon for Frank to know what the right play or move “should have been,” and he would vocally address these feelings even if there was no one around to hear them. And if there were others around, he would still state his feelings and gladly debate anyone on their opposing views. Recreational sports included Golf and Horse-Shoes. He enjoyed following his favorite sporting events. Tops on his list were Golf, Fishing and Billiards.

      Due to Frank's loyalty and passion for following things through to their conclusion, he found that he was a definite asset to his organizations. Once he was firmly behind a common goal, Frank's skills became an integral part of the planning process and the success of any project. Throughout his later years, Frank was an active member of the Legion 45th Highlanders. Frank's contributions were valued as being the “structure” person of each organization.

      Frank's skepticism was visible when he found it necessary to place too much trust in one person. This was never clearer than when it was time for him to schedule a vacation or period of time away from his regular schedule. Frank loved the research aspects of planning a trip, but the actual process of relaxing was far more difficult. Still, he did manage to enjoy some time away. Favorite vacations included Niagara Falls and St. John, New Brunswick.

      Frank was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Frank's favorites was Duke, his dog. They were best friends for 9 years. His family was rounded out by his two cats, Tom and Bob.

      When Frank's retirement finally came in 1991, he was ready. He worked out many of the details in advance so that he could enjoy the time and not have to worry. His new life involved relocating to Toronto. In retirement, he found new pleasure in Golf, Fishing and Horse-Shoes.

      Francis Charlton Butler passed away on September 29, 2008 at Wellesley Central Place. Frank died peacefully in his sleep. He is survived by Joe, John, Judy, Stephanie, Kimberly, Kevin, James, Aaron, Sean, Mary and Betty. A service was held at Saint Clement's Anglican Church of Rome (Queen St. and Logan St. Toronto, Ontario).

      Frank Butler was always drawn to what was measurable, practical and factual. He was a very competent person who expected competence from others. He could be headstrong and certain about the way things were suppose to be. He was determined in every aspect of his life and certain that he was usually right about things. He trusted his intuition over all else, even if it opposed the popular belief, and he had faith in his inner vision and speculations. He wanted to be acknowledged by others as having made a contribution to whatever he was working on. His family and friends will miss his fierce determination, relentless innovations and analytic mind. He leaves with all those who knew him many wonderful memories.