Turkey industry veteran Terry Richard Butler, 76, died August 13, 2022.
Butler was born in Lynwood, California, to Carl and Maxine Butler on May 17, 1946. After graduating from Hemet High School, he joined the Air Force, and then returned home to run the family turkey farm after his father’s death in 1968. He married Deneille Mann on August 29, 1970.
Butler attended Cal Poly University, in San Luis Obispo, California, where he graduated with a bachelor’s degree in poultry science. After college, he worked for Swift & Co. in Fresno, California and later Nicholas Turkey Breeding Farms in Sonoma, California. He retired in 2010.
He was a member of the Alpha Zeta fraternity, Evangelical Free Church of Fresno, and the Napa Valley Life Church, where he served in hospitality as an elder and in various church ministries. He served as a volunteer with the Napa Police Department throughout the past 10 years. He played baseball and softball throughout his life, from Little League to adult softball leagues, and coached his children and cheered on his grandchildren in their sporting activities.
He is survived by his wife; three children, Jennifer (Gary) Bradford, Julie (Skip) Stallings, and Jamie (Marie) Butler; seven grandchildren, Justin and Megan Bradford, Max, Sam and Will Stallings, and Jacob and Ryan Butler; siblings, Tom Butler and Linda Smith.
Services will be held at the Napa Valley Life Church in Napa, California, on September 17 at 2 p.m. In lieu of flowers, remembrance donations can be made to “Feeding His Sheep” Napa Valley Life Church, 2303 Trower Ave. Napa, CA 94558, or Expressions of Hope, expressionsofhopenapa.org.
