Philip J. Butta, Jr., age 64, of Middleborough, MA died on July 16, 2024 at his home and surrounded by family after a courageous battle with dementia. Born in Jersey City, NJ and raised in Buffalo, NY, he was the son of Philip and Joan (Hayden) Butta Sr. who predeceased him. He was the devoted husband of Christina (King) Butta. Phil raised his family in Mystic, CT and retired to Middleborough, MA 10 years ago.
Phil was a graduate of Southeastern Massachusetts University with a BA in Journalism and Communication. For many years he was the Director of Communications at Gilbane Building Company. He later worked for Groton Parks and Recreation as a Program Supervisor in Groton, CT and then went on to write for the Westerly Sun, a local newspaper. Each job highlighted his passion for writing and spotlighting local people who were following their dreams. He shared his love of storytelling by recounting tales of his youth to his children and grandchildren. In his spare time he helped to film and perform commentary for local high school sports and also dabbled in sports photography.
Phil was a car enthusiast. He cultivated a lifelong hobby of acquiring multiple vehicles and reveled in his ability to perform maintenance tasks and learn new skills.
He enjoyed sports from a young age and engaged in various sports and physical activities throughout his life. As a boy, he played neighborhood baseball and was a member of his school’s football and track teams. He was an avid fan of hockey and baseball on the radio and later, when his father built one of the neighborhood's first color TV sets, a loyal TV viewer. As an adult he became involved in rowing, continued to enjoy running and also co-founded and manage a local floor hockey league.
Although quiet and reserved in a crowd, he loved being with his family and was extremely proud of the life he built with Chris, their marriage that spanned 42 years and the children and grandchildren he helped to raise.
Phil was the father of Michael T. Butta and his wife Daphne, of Taipei, Taiwan; Catherine J. Wood and her husband Jacob of Merrimack, NH and Kelsey M. Muir and her husband Kyle of Gales Ferry, CT. He was the loving grandfather of Evelyn and Harland Butta, Jeremy and Leah Wood and Dylan and Sophie Muir. He was the brother of Salvatore Butta, of Amherst, NY; Francine Butta, of Little Rock, AK; Karen DeWalt of Cartersville, GA and the late James Butta, of Little Rock, AK.
He will be lovingly remembered for his grit, his integrity, his kindness and his loyalty.
A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Groton Community Meals ( https://www.grotonmeals.org/donate/ ), an organization Phil was instrumental in establishing.