Jerry Butler

Jerry Joseph Butler, 60, of Springfield died Sunday, Aug. 15, 1999, at his residence. Jerry was born Feb. 25, 1939 in Taylorville, the son of Bernard J. and Irene Elizabeth Langen Butler. He married Connie Kelly in 1986 in Boston. Mr. Butler started working for Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home in 1957. He and his brother, Jack, along with Leonard Berry and John McCarthy, became owners in 1965. He and his brother then became sole owners in 1970. Jerry retired in 1995. He was a graduate of Cathedral Boys High School and Springfield College in Illinois. He also attended Southern Illinois University at Carbondale and was a 1961 graduate of Worsham College of Mortuary Science. He served on the Funeral Directors and Embalmers State Examining Board, and was a member of the Illinois Funeral Directors Association, National Selected Morticians, and the International Order of the Golden Rule. Jerry was a U.S. Army veteran and a member of Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church. He was also active in the community and was a member of the Knights of Columbus Council 364, Fourth Degree Bishop Griffin Assembly, the Eagles Club, the Sons of Erin (Irishman of the Year, 1991), and served on the board of directors for the YMCA. He was also a founding member of Panther Creek Country Club, a lifetime member of the Springfield Motor Boat Club, and a member of Island Bay Yacht Club, Oak Crest Country Club and The Rail Golf Club. Survivors include: wife, Connie; a son, Brian Jerome Butler of Springfield; a daughter, Amy Elizabeth Butler of Springfield; two brothers, Jack (wife, Janice) Butler of Springfield and Pat (wife, Patty) Butler of New Concord, KY; a sister, Mary Kay (husband, John) Harrelson of Springfield; and several nieces, nephews and cousins. Services: Funeral Mass will be held at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church with Rev. John Ossola officiating. Burial will take place at Oak Ridge Cemetery. Kirlin-Egan and Butler Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.