Albert Truman Butterfield 95, of Franklin, and a former longtime resident of Westwood, passed away peacefully, Friday January 12, 2024 at Milford Regional Medical Center following an illness. He was the beloved husband of Donna M. (Dudley) Butterfield, with whom he shared 45 years of marriage, the husband of the late Lois (Pattison) Butterfield, who died in 1969, and beloved father of Susan (Paul) Lucas of Portland, Oregon.
He is survived by his wife Donna, daughter Susan (Paul) Lucas, sister-in-law Mary (Dick) Duggan, nephews Steve Butterfield, Michael (Alice) Dombrowski, Mark (Diana) Duggan, and Jim Duggan, nieces Julie (Jack) Cavacco, Mary Heins, and Katie (Ben) Duggan, and numerous grand and great-grand nieces and nephews.
He was preceded in death by his parents, first wife Lois (Pattison) Butterfield, sister Hazel (Albin) Dombrowski, brother Lloyd Butterfield, nephews Tom Butterfield, John Butterfield, and Albin Dombrowski, as well as many close friends.
Those who knew Albert describe him as a generous, kind, caring, and engaging man. He was loyal to his friends, fun to be with, a pleasure to talk to. His independent spirit and positivity was admirable, always looking for innovative ways to make things better. A joy to be with.
He loved his dear wife Donna, his family, their dog Cody, and keeping in touch with friends. He loved Vermont, especially his hometown Middlebury, Lake Dunmore, and hunting at deer camp with his close friends. He enjoyed spending time with Donna at their cottage on lake Pearl in Wrentham. He loved classical music, stream fishing and ice fishing, puttering in the yard, and working with his hands. He always wanted to keep busy.
Albert was born in Middlebury, Vermont, to Truman Lloyd and Florence Gates Butterfield on January 20, 1928. For most of his childhood, they lived on a farm, where he helped to feed and milk their cow, gather eggs from the chickens, weed the garden, and pick vegetables. As he grew up through the Depression years, the family sold eggs and raised Pomeranian dogs to make ends meet, with Albert holding jobs after school and during the summer. He remembered those days fondly, as a time of walking and biking all over town, skating, playing hockey, watching sporting events, and sometimes getting into mischief with neighborhood kids who became life-long friends, including his best friend Jim Fife. He also developed his love for classical music during those days, as his family would listen to their phonograph player or gather around the radio on Friday nights to listen to the weekly classical music broadcast. Living through difficult economic years and the death of his mother when he was 12 built a resilience in him which served him throughout his life.
In the 1930’s, his father bought property on Lake Dunmore. They tore down the horse barn at the farm to get materials to build a cottage, which Albert built with his father. He had good memories of the cottage, family vacations, and the hammock that always hung by the lake. He used to skate on the lake, and even drive a car on it in the winter.
Albert held many jobs in his teenage years, but there were two that he spoke the most about. The first was working on a farm one summer, getting up early to milk cows, work in the fields haying, weeding the fields, and splitting firewood. One of his favorite stories was telling how they used to jump out of an upper barn window into a pile of warm manure for fun. The second was working for the Forest Service with his friend Jim building a new telephone line. They lived in a tent in a field on the side of a mountain where they worked clearing the right of way of trees and brush, putting up poles, and stringing wires. He loved the hard work and adventure.
He spent the last two of his high school years at a prep school, Vermont Academy, graduating in 1945. He played basketball and varsity football, but the sport he excelled at, and was most proud of, was hockey. He made varsity hockey, scoring lots of goals, including penalty shots, and shattered the school record, which made the Boston papers. He was then elected captain for the year.
Expecting to be drafted, as many of his friends had been, he delayed enrolling in college after graduating from Vermont Academy. During this time, he worked with beekeeper Charlie Mraz. Charlie had 50 large bee colonies that stretched between Middlebury and the Canadian border. The bees would pollinate farmers’ crops, and produce honey, which was in great demand due to sugar rationing. At first he wore protection, but then stopped, as he got used to the stings. He once went with Charlie to New York City to deliver a hive to a doctor who was experimenting with treating arthritis with bee stings. Charlie later became famous for stinging people with arthritis. Anyone who came to him could get treated for free, and he became quite famous for his work. Following his work with the bees, he enrolled at Middlebury college in 1946, majoring in economics, and he continued to play varsity hockey for his freshman year.
After he graduated from college in 1950, he started working at The First National Bank of Boston in June and married his first wife Lois in October. He was drafted into the Army in 1954, at age 26, after he had become an officer at the bank and when they were expecting their first child. With Albert away, Lois stayed with her parents in New Jersey while pregnant, until Susan was born, and then packed up and moved to Puerto Rico for six months with Albert, while he served as a teller in the finance department for the Army in San Juan. He returned to work at the First National Bank after his honorable discharge.
After his first wife Lois died in 1969, and after being a single father to a teenager for nine years, he started dating Donna Dudley, who he knew from the bank, and they were married in 1978. After a few years, they moved from Westwood to the current house in Franklin, also owning a cottage on Lake Pearl for many years.
He spent his career working for the First National Bank of Boston from 1950 until taking early retirement in 1983. After training, he was sent to every location, filling in for bank officers who were sick or on vacation, so he spent time in every office, including the main office. During his career, he worked his way up from teller to Loan Officer to Assistant Vice President to Vice President.
Albert will be missed by all who knew and loved him!
Albert's service and interment will be held privately and at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Channeling Hope Foundation in grand-niece Amanda Duggan’s name.
The Charles F. Oteri and Son Franklin Funeral Home 33 Cottage St. is honored to assist the Butterfield family. Guestbook www.oterifuneralhome.com