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Obituary

MICHAEL "MIKE" JOHN BUTTERS

October 26, 2020

Michael “Mike” John Butters died at home, Oct. 26, 2020, at the age of 76. He was predeceased by his beloved wife, Irene (née Kokotovich); his father, Eric Butters; and stepfather, Gilbert Cross. Mike was born in Detroit, Feb. 29, 1944, to Marian Jean Campbell and Daniel Eric Butters. He is survived by his mother, Marian Whitfield; and two children, Christopher Butters (Trish) and Michelle Oros (Tim). He is also survived by his siblings, Peggy Bird (David) of Nova Scotia, Catherine O’Brien (Terry) of Kincardine, Stephen Cross (Bonnie) of Stratford, and Barbara Tedesco (Ted) of Pennsylvania; and his best friend, Buddy. Mike grew up in Kincardine but moved to Stratford at 16 and then on to Detroit. After school, he went into sales which suited him to a tee because he loved to chat with people. He spent more than 20 years with Seagram’s Distillery and when the company moved to Quebec, he went to Royal Distilleries. His last five years before retirement, he worked for 3M. During his working life, he went back to school part-time and obtained his degree. He majored in film and liked nothing better than watching a good movie, followed by a roaring discussion on the plot and its characters. Mike and Irene loved to camp, so after retirement, they moved to Fisherman’s Cove and stayed for 31 years. He worked part-time as a bar steward for the Legion, worked for Home Hardware a few years, and was a Mr. Fixit for family and friends. He enjoyed old cars and loved to show off his 1952 Willys Jeep at all the car shows until ill health hit. The family thanks John Van Lenthe, his wife, Diane, their sons, Tommy and Ryan, and their daughter, Shannon, for their 20 years of friendship and kindness and for tackling the monumental task of dealing with the paperwork. We also thank Dr. Jason Murray and his team for the constant care given to Mike over the last years. Steve Tiffin and his crew at Davey-Linklater Funeral Home, Kincardine, have been invaluable. Mike’s wishes were for him to be cremated, followed by a graveside service where he and Irene will be interred together with family-only attending. Memorial donations to the Kincardine and Community Health Care Foundation or Lucknow Pet Rescue, would be appreciated as expressions of sympathy; arrangements entrusted to the funeral home, www.daveylinklaterfuneralhome.com/.