David Butler

David Butler, a devoted husband, loving father and grandfather, community builder, artist, entrepreneur, and lifelong optimist, died peacefully after a courageous 12½-year battle with cancer. He was deeply loved, and his life was a blessing to all who knew him.

David was born to Thelma and Irving Butler, the second of two sons, and grew up alongside his older brother Bruce in a warm, child-centered home filled with friends, laughter, homemade go-carts, and Thelma’s legendary cooking. Though money was scarce, love was abundant. David carried that sense of welcome and community with him throughout his life.

David met the love of his life, Maxine, at the old JCC near Pennsauken and told her the first day they formally met that he was going to marry her. He was right. They married in 1976, grew into adulthood together, and shared 50 years of marriage, building a life centered on love, family and service. Together they raised two cherished children, Ari and Lauren, and created a home filled with warmth, laughter, and deep connection.

David was a devoted father and later found his greatest joy in being “Pop” to his four beloved grandsons, Charlie, Leo, Manny, and Cosmo. He took immense pride in his family and deeply loved Sara and Jake, whom he embraced wholeheartedly.

Creativity defined David’s life. Though he began his career as an art teacher, he soon moved into business, combining artistic vision with practical building skills learned from his father. He designed and manufactured point-of-purchase displays for various products, eventually expanding to the interiors of entire retail stores. In 1985, he was asked to convert a local skating rink in North Jersey, into a new retail store called Bed Bath & Beyond. He ultimately built more than 500 locations nationwide.

Later in life, David returned to teaching and service, teaching art to inner-city youth at Urban Promise in Camden and later to seniors at Lions Gate, experiences that brought him profound joy. Teaching, in one form or another, was always part of who he was.

David’s devotion to community was perhaps best expressed through the Katz JCC, where he grew up, met his wife, and later served as a board member for more than 25 years, including three years as president. He played a central role in fundraising, design, and building oversight of the current campus at Springdale and Kresson, helping to transform Jewish communal life in Cherry Hill and surrounding communities. He knew how to make things happen, and he did—quietly, effectively, and with heart.

In recent years, David served as a lifetime trustee of the Raymond and Gertrude Saltzman Foundation, continuing his lifelong commitment to community service and helping bring essential services to seniors and children in need.

He was a man of many talents. He was a yo-yo champion, a former bingo mic man on the Atlantic City boardwalk, the owner of a water-ice truck, a master craps player, and a man who could name every college mascot. He worked as a bricklayer’s helper, cleaned fish in the Reading Terminal Market and bartended at Kaminski’s. As a lifelong sports fan, he collected Sports Illustrated magazines for decades and later painted more than 60 of his favorite covers. He was an avid golfer, a gifted gardener, a fixer, a builder, and endlessly curious about the universe—often wondering aloud what might be happening on Mars.

David believed that if you experienced 100 truly great days in a lifetime, you were blessed. He knew he had been blessed many times over, and he remained grateful until the end.

David is survived by his beloved wife Maxine Butler of 50 years; his children, Ari(Sara) Butler and Lauren (Jacob) Rosner; his grandchildren, Charlie, Leo, Manny, and Cosmo; his brother Bruce (Linda) Butler; his in-laws Alan and Laura Wechsler and a wide circle of family, friends, and community members whose lives are richer for having known him. David lived with gratitude, curiosity, and joy—and leaves behind a legacy of love.

Relatives and friends are invited Wednesday, February 18th beginning 10:15 am to Platt Memorial Chapels, Inc. 2001 Berlin Road, Cherry Hill, NJ where funeral services will begin promptly at 11:00 am. The service will also be live streamed on plattmemorial.com. Please scroll down to view the live stream. Interment will follow at Locustwood Memorial Park in Cherry Hill, NJ.

Shiva will be observed at the Rosner residence on Wednesday following the burial until 8:00 pm; on Thursday from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm and on Friday.

Contributions in memory of David can be made to the Katz JCC, katzjcc.org, or the American Cancer Society, cancer.org.