John Butterworth, Philadelphia lawyer

John Butterworth, 87, formerly of Wayne, a lawyer with a great love of the outdoors and a commitment to community service, died Wednesday, July 8, of an obstructed airway while eating in his apartment at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr. He was alone at the time.

He had lived for 13 years at the senior community.

For 40 years ending in 1993, Mr. Butterworth practiced law with Townsend, Elliot & Munson in Philadelphia, which merged into Reed, Smith, Shaw & McClay in 1977. His specialties were real estate, municipal finance, and hospital law.

Born in 1927, Mr. Butterworth was the son of James Ebert Butterworth and Dorothy Caroline Gardner. He grew up in Philadelphia and attended Germantown Friends School and William Penn Charter School before graduating from South Kent School in 1945.

He earned a bachelor's degree from Princeton University in 1949 and a degree from the University of Pennsylvania Law School in 1953. While at Princeton, he took time off to serve in the Army during World War II.

In 1954, Mr. Butterworth married Elsie Whelen Large of Valley Forge. She died in 2014 at age 80.

He contributed to civic life by taking volunteer leadership roles with Princeton, the White-Williams Foundation, and St. Christopher's Hospital for Children.

He served on the boards of the Keene Valley (N.Y.) Neighborhood House, Beaumont at Bryn Mawr, Mill Dam Club, Ausable Club, and South Kent School.

Mr. Butterworth also held many roles with the Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania, and was a vestry member and rector's warden at St. David's Episcopal Church in Wayne.

After growing up on the East Coast, he fell in love with the Adirondack Mountains, and spent time at the family's vacation home in Keene Valley, N.Y., where he fished, golfed, hiked, cross-country skied, and played tennis. The Butterworths also fished in Florida, Alaska, Canada, Scotland, and Ireland.

An avid reader, he was particularly interested in Civil War and modern European history.

His son John Jr. said that as a father, he was a "wonderful model, encouraging us to follow whatever path our hearts gave us."

Surviving, besides his son, are a daughter, Janet M. Balaguer; son David G.; and nine grandchildren.

A memorial service is to be at 3 p.m. Saturday, July 18, at St. David's Episcopal Church, 763 S. Valley Forge Rd., Wayne. Interment is private.

Donations may be made to Philadelphia Futures, 230 S. Broad St., Seventh Floor, Philadelphia 19102, or the Adirondack Trail Improvement Society, Box 565, Keene Valley, N.Y. 12943.

610-313-8102