Patricia "Pat" Butterfield, 88, died peacefully January 14, 2019, at Eastern Maine Medical Center. A woman of faith, she passed at 4:44, a sign that she was in the company of angels and in harmony with the universe.
She was born Pearl Boulia of Worcester, MA, December 8, 1930. At eight, she was adopted by Frank and Sadie Hughes of Worcester, and her name was changed to Patricia Anne Hughes.
Pat graduated from Westborough High School, Class of 1948. She attended Russell Sage College in Troy, New York; but, upon the death of her father, she left after a single semester and followed her high school sweetheart Jack Butterfield to the University of Maine. They were married in Orono in 1950 and enjoyed twenty-nine years together before Jack's death in a car accident.
Pat dedicated her life to her family, reveling in the role of wife, mother, and homemaker. She was always happiest at home with her family around her. Most notably, she was an excellent cook and a talented seamstress. No chef could touch her fried chicken or her white chocolate cheesecake. For every special occasion, she created tasty and memorable feasts, and dinnertime was a joyful affair. Her daughters were the envy of classmates when they paraded in dresses designed with voluminous petticoats and daring v-backs. Oh, how they turned heads at their sixth-grade socials. She was also a kind caretaker of boxers, hummingbirds, and Christmas cacti.
As the wife of the University of Maine baseball coach, Pat became a huge baseball fan and remained one until the day she died. For more than 20 years, she cheered for the UMaine Black Bears. Then, when her husband was hired by George Steinbrenner, she cheered for the New York Yankees, a true test of loyalty for a former Red Sox fan. And she called on that loyalty to cheer for teams coached by son Brian: Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs. One of her proudest moments was when the Red Sox, with Brian coaching third base and prophetically wearing number 13, won the World Series in 2013.
Surviving are her daughter Sherrie and her husband Jimmy Thomas of Orono, daughter Val and her husband Danny Reilly of Londonderry, NH, son Brian and his wife Jan Butterfield of Standish; four grandchildren, Jack Reilly, Rachel Reilly, John McGlinn, and Chris McGlinn; and three great grandchildren, John and Kiera's children, Madison, Mason, and Grace.
Later this year, she will be laid to rest next to husband Jack at an interment ceremony at Pine Grove Cemetery in Westborough. Those who wish to remember Pat in a special way may make gifts in her memory to the Jack Butterfield Memorial Scholarship, University of Maine Foundation, Two Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com.
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Patricia Butterfield, please visit our flower store.
She was born Pearl Boulia of Worcester, MA, December 8, 1930. At eight, she was adopted by Frank and Sadie Hughes of Worcester, and her name was changed to Patricia Anne Hughes.
Pat graduated from Westborough High School, Class of 1948. She attended Russell Sage College in Troy, New York; but, upon the death of her father, she left after a single semester and followed her high school sweetheart Jack Butterfield to the University of Maine. They were married in Orono in 1950 and enjoyed twenty-nine years together before Jack's death in a car accident.
Pat dedicated her life to her family, reveling in the role of wife, mother, and homemaker. She was always happiest at home with her family around her. Most notably, she was an excellent cook and a talented seamstress. No chef could touch her fried chicken or her white chocolate cheesecake. For every special occasion, she created tasty and memorable feasts, and dinnertime was a joyful affair. Her daughters were the envy of classmates when they paraded in dresses designed with voluminous petticoats and daring v-backs. Oh, how they turned heads at their sixth-grade socials. She was also a kind caretaker of boxers, hummingbirds, and Christmas cacti.
As the wife of the University of Maine baseball coach, Pat became a huge baseball fan and remained one until the day she died. For more than 20 years, she cheered for the UMaine Black Bears. Then, when her husband was hired by George Steinbrenner, she cheered for the New York Yankees, a true test of loyalty for a former Red Sox fan. And she called on that loyalty to cheer for teams coached by son Brian: Arizona Diamondbacks, New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Boston Red Sox, and Chicago Cubs. One of her proudest moments was when the Red Sox, with Brian coaching third base and prophetically wearing number 13, won the World Series in 2013.
Surviving are her daughter Sherrie and her husband Jimmy Thomas of Orono, daughter Val and her husband Danny Reilly of Londonderry, NH, son Brian and his wife Jan Butterfield of Standish; four grandchildren, Jack Reilly, Rachel Reilly, John McGlinn, and Chris McGlinn; and three great grandchildren, John and Kiera's children, Madison, Mason, and Grace.
Later this year, she will be laid to rest next to husband Jack at an interment ceremony at Pine Grove Cemetery in Westborough. Those who wish to remember Pat in a special way may make gifts in her memory to the Jack Butterfield Memorial Scholarship, University of Maine Foundation, Two Alumni Place, Orono, ME 04469. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.BrookingsSmith.com.
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