Obituary of Peter Earle Butler

Peter Earle Butler, renowned for his love of family and legendary humor, died peacefully at his home in Wilton, CT on Saturday, October 16, 2021.   He was 85 years old.  

Born on August 7, 1936, in Mount Vernon, New York, he was the son of Lillian Zale Butler and Earle Joseph Butler.  He attended Iona Prep and later graduated from Iona College with a Bachelor of Science in 1958.  He went on to attend the University of Notre Dame and graduated with a Ph.D.  in Organic Chemistry in 1962.  It was during this time that he met Carolyn Manion and was married at the iconic Log Chapel on the campus of Notre Dame with Father Daniel O’Neil, C.S.C. officiating their wedding.   

After his post-doctoral research on mass spectrometry at Iowa State in 1963, he relocated to the East Coast to become a Research Chemist for Esso Research while attending Rutgers University where he was a member of Beta Gamma Sigma and graduated first in his class with an MBA in 1968.  

Peter was known for his commitment and expertise during his illustrious Wall Street career as a chemical industry analyst at F.I. Dupont, Mitchell Hutchins, Paine Webber, and Credit Suisse First Boston.  From the mid-70’s until the early 90’s, Peter was the number two rated chemical analyst on Wall Street in the annual Institutional Investor Analyst All-Star poll.   

After commuting to New York for over 25 years, Peter was an early adopter of working remotely when he founded Glen Hill Investments and split his time between Wilton and the coast of Maine as President up until his recent passing.    

In addition to his professional career which allowed him to travel the globe, he had several devoted hobbies, The Notre Dame Fighting Irish, skiing in Park City, drinking fine wines in Tuscany, fly fishing in Alaska, and a champion tennis and paddle player at the Lake Club.  But his special passion was gardening, and he often referred to himself as the “Head Farmer” designating his children lovingly as his assistant farmers.  He started all of his vegetables and flowers from seed, nurturing them until their transplantation into his several gardens.   Growing too much for his family to use, Peter generously donated the surplus to the local church soup kitchen.   

Peter is survived by his wife Carolyn of 60 years, his five children Diana Buxton and her husband Douglas F. Buxton, MD of New York City, Bill Butler and his wife Kimberly Norton, Ph.D. of New Canaan, CT, Betsy Danes and her husband Stratton Danes, MD of Old Lyme, CT, Perry Butler and his wife Marlo Butler of Littleton, CO, Tara Butler Floch and her husband Eric Floch of Sebastopol, CA, and ten grandchildren, Jackson, Nicolas, Graham, and Lilly Butler; Emma, George, and William Danes; Logan and Carson Butler; and Connor Floch; and his beloved golden retriever, Melanie.

He is also survived by his sister Maureen Moore and her husband Bruce of Merrimack, NH and their children, Andrew, Kim, and Brian, and their families. 

A funeral service will be held at Lady of Fatima Church on Saturday November 20^th at 11 AM in Wilton, CT.   The family will host a burial and celebration of Peter’s life later this summer in Tenant’s Harbor, Maine. 

In lieu of flowers, donations in Peter Butler’s memory may be made to the Women’s Health Care Center, 360 N. Notre Dame Avenue, South Bend, Indiana 46617 (donatewomenscarecenter.org).

The Butler family would like to acknowledge with deep gratitude the Visiting Angels caretakers for their compassion, commitment, and care.