C. David Butler died Friday, April 11, 2014 after a battle with lymphoma. He is survived by his wife Catherine Oakes Butler; his children David Mather Butler, Jennifer Smith Butler (Glenn Zuber), Wendy Corrine Butler (Stephan Boccara), Matthew Carden Butler, and Charles Cotton Butler (Anne Berry); his stepchildren Branham Jarrell and Andrew Jarrell (Amanda); his sisters Florence Dawson and Sally Wester; eight grandchildren; seven nieces and nephews; and his former wife Susie Butler.
Born in 1943 to Charles Henry Butler and Lucy Carden Butler, he spent his early years in Rockmart, Georgia, later moved to Augusta, and finally settled in Atlanta, where he graduated from North Fulton High School in 1961. He attended the University of Georgia, where he obtained a B.A. and a law degree. He began his legal career at Redfern, Butler and Morgan, where he was a founding partner. From 1985 until 1997, he was a partner at Alston and Bird. He served from 1997 until 2004 as the United States Trustee for the Region 21 Bankruptcy Court, and then joined Shapiro Fussell, where he worked until his retirement in 2011. He was a founding director and twice president of the Southeastern Bankruptcy Law Section, a founder of the Atlanta Bar Association's Bankruptcy Law Section and later was elected as President of the Atlanta Bar Association. He was awarded the David W. Pollard Achievement Award by the Atlanta Bar Association, Bankruptcy Law Section in 2004 and the Charles E. Watkins, Jr. Award for Distinguished and Sustained Service by the Atlanta Bar Association in 2007. He was a fellow of the American College of Bankruptcy and a member of the American Bankruptcy Law Institute.
David was a leader and mentor in his community and among family and friends. He led various men’s fellowship groups in Atlanta and Big Canoe and was a leader in the church. He was active throughout his adult life with the YMCA, serving on the Board of Directors and as Secretary of the Metropolitan YMCA of Atlanta and as Past Chairman of the Downtown Branch of the YMCA. His large, extended family looked to him as a mentor and for wisdom and support.
He lived his life with an infectious sense of adventure, fun and humor. He had a passion for motorcycles, participating in off-road enduro races in his younger years and organizing weekend and cross-country motorcycle trips into retirement. He regularly spent his lunch hour playing basketball, where was proud to be a first pick even as he neared retirement. He coached his five children in basketball and also emceed the games (with an entertaining mix of humor and seriousness). He loved singing, playing guitar, and kept an eclectic collection of music, always remaining current but never forgetting his old favorites.
Funeral services will be held on April 16 at 1:00 p.m. at North Avenue Presbyterian Church, 607 Peachtree Street, with a reception immediately following. Burial will follow on April 17 at 11:30 a.m. at Big Canoe Chapel Cemetery. Calling hours will be April 15 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at H.M. Patterson & Son, 1020 Spring Street. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Reflection Ministries, One Piedmont Center, Suite 130, Atlanta, Georgia 30305 and Campus Crusade for Christ for the ministry of Nikolin Dodaj, P.O. Box 68222, Orlando, Florida 32832. Online condolences may be made at hmpattersonspringhill.com.
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