Lewis Butrick

Lewis Allen Butrick was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather and friend who dedicated his time to making a great life for those who he loved the most. A hard working man, Lewie always made time to spread love to those around him, never missing a chance to support his family or friends. With his bright sense of humor and quick smile, Lewis never passed up the chance to make someone laugh, always having a joke or story for every occasion. Lewies story begins in the 1930s, a difficult time in American History. With the nation struggling on the brink of economic collapse, tensions rising in Europe and a second world war looming right around the corner, the decade threatened instability for most of the population. In Muskegon, Michigan, the year 1936 was one of excitement for Robert Butrick and Lunette Williams, as they anticipated the birth of their child. One cool spring day, on March 10, 1936, they welcomed a new life into their home, a darling son who they named Lewis Allen. Lewie, together with his younger sister Judith, experienced a childhood much more difficult than most. When he was a toddling 14 month old, Lewie fell onto the hot coals of a bonfire at the beach that had been covered with sand, and the resulting effects were bad burns, the loss of several fingers and many surgeries and skin grafts over the years to repair the damages. When Lewie was 4 years old, his father left, leaving his mother struggling to support her family. By working as a healthcare aide and seeking help from her mother and sister, Lunette was able to succeed. Lewie and his family moved around quite a bit when he was young, but settled in the Lakeside neighborhood of Muskegon, where he made many life long friends. As a child, Lewie attended Bunker School, and then Muskegon High School as a teenager. Throughout high school, Lewie continued to be impacted by his injuries. He often received strange looks, but he always made the best of it, and developed a sense of humor towards his situation. While his injuries limited his ability to play most sports, he overcame this struggle as well, and decided to run track instead. Before completing high school, Lewie decided to quit school and find work to help support his family. When he was 17, he got a job as an expediter at S. D. Warren Paper Mill. The job was a good fit for him, and he worked there for 40 years until retiring. Lewies financial struggles as a childhood caused him to develop a strong work ethic. Lewie was a hard, dependable worker, who showed great dedication to his job. He would often work 7 days a week, 10-12 hours a day. When Lewie was in his early 20s, he was introduced to a young woman named Jeanine Piirainen by some friends. It was love at first sight for the smitten young couple, and after several years of dating the two decided to make their lives one. On November 27, 1957, Lewie and Jeanine exchanged vows and became husband and wife. Before long, the young couple found themselves happy parents, welcoming their first child, Katherine, into their lives in 1958. Katherine was soon joined by two more children, Sue in 1961 and Robert in 1963. While Lewies work schedule left little time for vacations, he was a proud and dedicated father. He loved taking his girls to daddy-daughter dances, and enjoyed taking the whole family to company picnics and trips to Cedar Point. As his children grew up, Lewie never missed a sporting event or school activity. Lewie and Jeanine kept up an active social life, and enjoyed spending time with their great group of friends, many of whom were from the old Lakeside neighborhood. The couples would often get together for parties and short road trips. They enjoyed socializing together with their families as well, taking snow picnics in the winter with sledding on the dunes, and 4th of July celebrations at Elks Park. Aside from spending time with his family and friends, Lewie also kept himself busy by bowling and golfing on company leagues, and loved hunting for ducks and pheasants with his cousin Bill. In his retirement, Lewie liked to help out at his daughter Kathys beverage store. He was her devoted cooler boy, spending hours in the cooler straightening out the inventory, stocking shelves, and helping customers. He loved spending time with his grandkids too, and enjoyed watching them compete in their various sporting events. Lewie also enjoyed working in his yard, and could often be found digging up tree roots to make the yard look just right. In his later years, Lewie even took up playing games on the computer, and would spend hours playing Free Cell. In recent years, Lewie and Jeanine celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary with a wonderful party surrounded by family and friends. Unfortunately, trial struck Lewie earlier this summer when he started to have some health problems. After visiting several doctors, it was discovered that Lewie suffered from stage 4 lung cancer, with little possible treatment. Lewie handled the situation well, and received wonderful care from the staff at Poppen Hospice House. While there, he spent his time visiting with his loving family, who witnessed him continuing to be his loveable, cranky old self, telling jokes and stories just like he always did. On September 8th, 2010, Lewie died surrounded by his family. Lewie was a caring, dedicated man who found great joy in his friends and family. The king of limericks, Lewie loved to make others smile, and brought joy to many people throughout his life. A loving husband, devoted father, grandfather, and friend, Lewie was dearly loved throughout his life. He will be greatly missed. Lewis is survived by his wife of 52 years, Jeanine; children, Katherine Johnson of N. Muskegon, Sue Butrick of N. Muskegon, Robert (Laura) Butrick of Norton Shores; grandchildren, Melissa (Andrew Kutz) Johnson, Matthew Johnson, Brandon Butrick, Reece Butrick; sister, Judith Skiba of Muskegon; and the "girls", Toni & Tina, his beloved Dachshunds. Funeral services will be held on Monday, September 13, 2010, 11:00 AM at First Congregational Church UCC with Rev. Tim VanderHaar officiating. Visitation will be held on Monday, 1 hour prior to the service at First Congregational Church UCC.. Please visit www.lifestorynet.com to leave a memory or sign the online guest book.