Obituary of Miriam Rose Butler

June 30, 1927 - August 12, 2020 Miriam passed away at Innisfree House, from congestive heart failure. She had recently celebrated her 93rd birthday. She was best friends for over 75 years with J. Howard Butler, and was happily married to Howie for over 66 of those years. Dad predeceased her on November 13, 2016. Mom was also predeceased by her two brothers Frederick and Hugh, Hugh's wife Marion, her dear sister Patricia and her husband Alan, and brothers-in-law Keith and Bill, and their wives Bev and Robbie. Miriam was the last surviving senior member of the family formed by the coming together of the Elven Shantz/Mabel Weber and Leigh Butler/Jean Barber families. Miriam and her sister Pat married Butler brothers Howard and Alan, between them producing seven children from 1952 to 1958. Beyond being double first cousins, we grew up with one another as a combined family, and revelled in that experience. Miriam's children, John (Jackie Bryers), Mary, and Jane (Phil Dietrich), and Pat's children Janis (Walter Bachinski), Debbie (Roger Bentley), Scott (Nancy) and Leslie (Al Wain), will remember their Mom/Auntie Miri with a deep and abiding affection. She was the adored grandmother of Jack (Stephanie Atin) and Peter (Donna Torres) Butler, and Scott and Amy Rose Dietrich. She is also survived by a loving multitude of nieces, nephews, and grand- and great grand- nieces and nephews. She was our true and enduring matriarch. Miriam lived her life in full, and with great pleasure. She and Howard had a magical life, full of family, fun, entertainment, sports and travel. She taught kindergarten in several Waterloo County schools, including Courtland and Suddaby. Her love of young children remained through her life. She went back to university and obtained her BA at University of Waterloo in her fifties, and she couldn't have been prouder. She had a strong commitment to her community. Miriam volunteered with Meals on Wheels for over 25 years. She was a co-convenor of the St. John's Christmas pudding fundraiser. She enjoyed singing in the church choir and teaching Sunday School. Miriam was one of the founding members of Third Age Learning locally. She enjoyed playing badminton and golf, with Howie and many friends. She never stood still. She and Howard had many, many friends, and that large group entertained one another in style. Miriam was an excellent bridge player and played the piano wonderfully and by ear. She took pleasure in her longtime membership at Westmount Golf Club, and remained steadfast in her religious convictions as a loyal congregant of the Church of St. John the Evangelist. Although somewhat diminished after Dad's death, she carried on with enthusiasm, determination, grace and aplomb. She will be sorely missed by her family, friends, and all others who had the pleasure of knowing her. Miriam wanted us to acknowledge the deep friendships she had with Bea Fleischauer and Bette Moore. She had a wider group of friends who were also of great support to her, including her church friends and the residents of Waterloo Heights, and she loved them all. Our sincere thanks to Dr. D.M. Patel, whose unwavering attention to Miriam and her health over the past years greatly enhanced her well being. We thank Reverend Dr. Preston Parsons of St. John's for his attention to and support of our mother. We also acknowledge the superb staff of Waterloo Heights, who took great care of Mom and Dad, and were so accommodating and helpful with Mom during these last few months of living with COVID. We thank the LHIN for their guidance and support. Special thanks to Shelley, her wonderful PSW, Karen E. Bell, her case manager, and all of the palliative care nursing team, who were so helpful in caring for her. Our family offers our profound thanks to Innisfree House and its staff, who took such attentive and compassionate care of Mom in the final days. There will be a family interment service. We will have a memorial event for Miriam when circumstances permit. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Erb and Good Funeral Home, and cremation has taken place. If you wish, donations in Miriam's memory may be made to the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Kitchener (stjohn316.com), or to a charity of your choice.