Dr. M.L. "Jerry" Butterworth

Passed away on December 29, 2017. Born in Knoxville, TN on September 10, 1925, he was raised in Covington, KY and Summerville, SC. After graduating from high school, he joined the Army Air Corps and afterwards attended The Citadel in Charleston, SC, majoring in chemistry. He continued his education at Emory University receiving a Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 1953. While in Charleston, he met and married Frances Wallace, the love of his life, to whom he remained devoted for 68 years of marriage. They moved to Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to set up his dental practice, and it was there that they lived until he retired in 1989. He is survived by his wife, Frances, daughter, Dale Cleveland (Tom), son, Mark Butterworth (Jane), grandchildren Drew Cleveland (Lauren), MaryWynne Lumsden (Tyler), Blake Butterworth (Jennifer), Brooke Bloch (Andrew), and great-grandchildren MaryGrace and Rhett Cleveland, and Ryan Lumsden.

Throughout his career, Jerry was engaged in work which used his dexterous ability and talent. As a prosthodontist, he valued his patients and desired for them to have beautiful, functional corrections to their teeth. He lectured in the U.S. and abroad in aesthetics and restorative dentistry, and he was one of the dental pioneers in using implants. Jerry held fellowships in the American Academy of Restorative Dentistry, American Equilibration Society, American College of Dentists, International College of Dentists, and the Florida Academy of Dental Practice Administration. He was not only one of the founders of The Pankey Institute in Key Biscayne, Florida and of the Florida Academy of Dental Practice Administration, but he also served 4 years as president for both establishments. He was a member of the Federation Dentaire Internationale, Florida Prosthodontic Association and was a past president of the Broward County Dental Society.

In his spare time, sailing was a passion. He always said it gave him a “case of the calms,” and he enjoyed taking several trips to the Keys, Bahamas, and other Carribean islands with friends and family. The Boy Scouts of America and Rotary Club International were organizations in which he was active and which were very important to him. He and Frances retired to Pensacola, Florida, where he learned how to sculpt in bronze. Never one to slow down, he was actively involved in the First Presbyterian Church, the Pensacola Symphony, Habitat for Humanity, and Rotary Club (receiving the Paul Harris Fellowship award). After Hurricane Ivan destroyed their home in 2004, they moved to Gainesville, Georgia to be closer to their family.

Jerry Butterworth’s success as a dentist was only eclipsed by his tenderness as a husband, father, grandfather, great-grandfather, son, brother, and friend. He was a gentleman and a gentle man. He was the eternal optimist. The lives he touched with his positive attitude and endless encouragement will never be the same. He had a way of making everyone who ever met him feel they were special. His family feels blessed to have had him in their lives for so many years.

Jerry was a dedicated advocate for patient-centered, comprehensive care dentistry. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made in his name to The Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education, One Crandon Boulevard, Key Biscayne, Florida 33149.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Wednesday, January 3, 2018 at 10:00 A.M., Roswell Funeral Home, 950 Mansell Road, Roswell, Georgia 30076