David Butt

David Butt, 86, died September 21, 2022, at his home of more than 30 years in Beaverton, Oregon. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Ursula, to whom he was married for 44 years prior to her passing in 2013.

He is survived by his son Michael (and Patricia) Selby, grandchildren Nicholas Dryden, Ashton Oberdofer and Ren Oberdorfer; his 3 siblings, Jeremy (and Anita) Butt, Angela Hooper, and Rosalie (and Gordon) Crompton, along with his many nephews and nieces and their spouses and children.

David was born September 10, 1936, in Derby, England, to Frank and Kathleen Butt. He attended Strutt grammar school in Belper as a young child. His exceptional aptitude for mathematics led to a full scholarship to Cambridge. After graduating and completing his military service, his ambition to travel the world led him into a career in oil exploration. Working for a subsidiary of Texas Instruments, he led exploration crews in Iran, California, Alaska and Ecuador, eventually settling in the U.S. to manage a computer department for Unocal in Los Angeles, California. It was there where he met his wife, Ursula, and raised their only child, Michael. After 17 years with Unocal he accepted an offer of early retirement and moved to Oregon. Not one to ever stop learning, he decided to return to university and obtain a masters degree in Computer Science at the age of 63. This second career gave him the opportunity to work for several start ups and a local university hospital, OHSU. He also volunteered as a program chair of PNSQC, a local Software Quality conference.

After his second retirement, he took on the role of primary caregiver to his wife Ursula who had suffered several strokes due to heart problems. After her death, he continued his interest in genealogy, tracing almost eighty percent of his ancestors through seven generations. He also took the Master Gardener course with his daughter in law, Trish spending the next few years volunteering and meeting people with similar interests. Through this connection, he met another master gardener who introduced him to the Cascade Prime Timers, a local group of active adults 50 and older. He continued to participate in activities with this group until his death.

David led a fulfilling life, enjoyed good food and wine, told hilarious stories of his adventures and had an infectious smile that would brighten anyone’s day. He will be missed dearly by all who knew him.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday November 12, 2022 at 10am (PST) at Skyline Memorial Gardens, 4101 NW Skyline Blvd, Portland, OR 97229 with coffee and pastries immediately following. The memorial will also be live streamed for anyone not able to attend. A stroll through the memorial garden to the bench where David’s ashes now reside alongside Ursula’s is encouraged.