Philip H. Butterer

Philip H. Butterer passed away surrounded by his beautiful wife and loving family on Monday July 5, 2021 at the age of 79.

Phil was born February 14,1942 in Trenton, NJ to Albert and Elizabeth Butterer. He graduated from the George School in 1960. Following high school he attended the Citadel, leaving after one year to answer the call to serve his country. Phil enlisted in the US Navy and became a plankowner on the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk. He was honorably discharged from active duty in 1963 and reserve duty in 1967. He attended Bryant College earning a BA in marketing in 1965 and later in life a MA in Adult Education from Elmira College. While working at GM in Syracuse and living in Skaneateles, fate, via a car running out of gas, introduced Phil to Barbara Lynch. He was smitten and shortly after they met, he asked Barbie to be the mother of his children. They were married in 1968 and went on to raise two sons (Larry and Paul) and twin daughters (Elizabeth and Christa) in their beloved village of Interlaken, NY.

Anyone that knew Phil loved him for his positive attitude and subtle charm. His deep love and devotion to family was passed down from his father. Good times for Phil meant simply sitting down with friends and family. A good meal, good wine, good conversation, legendary family stories and of course, lots of love and laughter.

As his family grew, Phil cherished every chance he had to be with or face time with his grandchildren. He was an avid foodie and worked in and managed many kitchens. He also taught several culinary arts classes at numerous colleges, eventually finding his way to a career at Wegmans in Ithaca where he found great joy and local fame as a demo chef, aka “Phil the food guy”. He loved the food, the teaching, and the interactions with colleagues and customers. He retired with 17 years of service from the company in 2013. Phil also dedicated many years to the Boy Scouts as a scoutmaster for Troop 2178. There are fond memories of camp outs and summers spent with his boys at Camp Babcock-Hovey. He also enjoyed reading and watching the news and looked forward to devouring five newspapers every Sunday.

Phil was preceded in death by his parents Albert & Elizabeth and his brother Richard. He is survived by his wife Barb of 52 years and his four children, Larry (Nicole) of Hilsboro, Oregon, Paul (Holly) of Haymarket, VA, Elizabeth (John Vogler) of Penfield, NY, Christa (John) Dunlap of Hector, NY and grandchildren Logan, Coley, Nadia, and Piper. He is also survived by his sister Dianne Orr and in-laws Rosemary Hickey, Jeanne Votry, Peggy and Neil Perlman, and several nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation in Phil’s memory to: Angel Flight NE, Lawrence Municipal Airport, 492 Sutton Street, North Andover, MA 01845. Prayers of Committal with military honors will be held at Sampson Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Romulus at 10:00am on Monday, August 2, 2021.  

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