Ms. Leona A. Butler

Ms. Leona Alice Butler, 80, formerly of Pittsfield, MA, passed away at Mount Carmel Care Center on Thursday, March 28, 2024, surrounded by family. Born in Pittsfield on September 22, 1943, daughter of the late Wellington and Leona (Briggs) Butler, she graduated from Pittsfield High School with the class of 1961. Leona worked on her family’s dairy farm, Pulpit Rock Farm, her entire life. As she always would say, she “just loved being a farm girl.” She loved her Jersey cows, the farm cats, and most of all her many dogs over the years including Towser, Bessie, Midgie, Lady, and Jessie. Leona was proud of showing her award-winning cows at numerous county fairs for 23 years. Leona was very active in her community. In her youth she was a member of the 4-H Dairy Club and the Len-Lee Dairy Club. She was both secretary and treasurer of Berkshire County Farm Bureau for many years, as well as a longtime member of the Massachusetts Jersey Cattle Club, the New England Jersey Breeders Association, and the American Jersey Cattle Club. She was also a member of the former St. Teresa’s Church until its closing. Her family and friends will remember her as an incredibly kind woman always willing to organize an event or help a neighbor in need. She was known for her amazing chocolate chip cookies, and friends would eagerly await their birthday batch of cookies! She kept a large vegetable garden and was especially fond of the rhubarb from the farm’s 100+ year old rhubarb patch. An avid photographer, she could be counted on to capture all family events. She never forgot a birthday or anniversary. Leona always took an interest in her family’s genealogy, researching family history over several generations back to Ireland and England - no easy feat in the time before the internet. Leona is survived by her niece, Kelli Butler Kozak and nephew-in-law Brad Kozak, as well as her beloved great-nephews, John Wellington Kozak and Stasiu Kozak who have many wonderful memories of her as “the best aunt” who always had a pocket full of butterscotch candies. She also leaves her sister-in-law, Susan Tremblay Butler, as well as her cousin, Kevin Loehr, with whom she worked on the farm for over 50 years. Besides her parents, Leona was predeceased by her brother, Wellington “Sonny” Butler, and many aunts, uncles, and cousins including her lifelong best friend, Winnifred Loehr. Leona’s family wishes to thank the staff at Mount Carmel Care Center for making her final year comfortable and for helping her find a hidden talent for winning at bingo! Funeral Notice: Funeral services for Ms. Leona Alice Butler will be Monday, April 8, 2024, with a Liturgy of Christian Burial at 11am at Sacred Heart Church, celebrated by the Rev. Steven Montesanti, Pastor. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Cemetery. Calling hours will be Sunday, April 7, 2024, from 12 noon to 2 pm at the Dwyer-Wellington Funeral Home in Pittsfield, 220 East St, Pittsfield MA 01201. In lieu of flowers, donations in Leona’s memory can be made to the Berkshire County 4-H Wellington & Leona Butler Memorial Scholarship Fund or the Mount Carmel Care Center resident activities fund in care of the Dwyer-Wellington Funeral Home.

Ms. Leona A. Butler

September 22, 1943 - March 28, 2024