2
trees
planted in memory of Thomas Paul Butcher
Obituary for Thomas Paul Butcher
Thomas Paul Butcher of Ludlow passed away at Lifecare Center of Wilbraham on July 3, 2025 at the age of 75. Tom was born on July 19th, 1949 in Springfield, Massachusetts to John Butcher and Tekla (Tyksinski) Butcher. He grew up in Palmer and attended Palmer High School where he played football and often enjoyed hunting and fishing with his friends. He was a huge fan of muscle cars and had a GTO, a Dodge RT, and a Camaro. He spent six years in the National Guard. Tom married his wife Linda at St. Thomas Church in Palmer on October 24th, 1970 before moving to Ludlow. The couple welcomed their son Jeffrey in 1977. Tom loved to play catch with Jeffrey every day after school and take him fishing as often as he could. He enjoyed coaching Jeff's baseball teams through the years. Tom started working at Smith and Wesson as a lugger shortly after graduating from high school and worked there for 20 years. Later he opened a sports card shop called TJ’s Cards on East Street in Ludlow and kept it open from 1990 until 1996. Later, he spent many years working as a driving instructor for Belmont Driving School and United Driving School, and at a local bait shop, until he retired at the age of 65. Tom enjoyed hunting, fishing, and gardening—both flowers and vegetables—into his retirement years. He hunted deer and turkey with shotgun, bow and black powder, and took his beagles with him to hunt rabbits, especially his most loved hunting dog Sal. Once, he caught a record-breaking tiger muskie at Forest Lake in Palmer, and he caught many, many largemouth bass earning him a number of bronze pins. He took pride in his extensive collection of daylilies and kept his mother’s peonies growing year after year, later sharing them with his son and wife when they bought their first home. He played cribbage and other card games with his friends at the bait shop for many years. He loved the Red Sox and the Washington Commanders and spent many days watching games with Jeff. Tom was incredibly proud of his family and loved his grandchildren, Arty (17) and Augustus (6), who brought him so much joy over the years. Jeff often admired how smart his dad was when he helped him with various things in life whether it was fishing or repairing things around the house or gardening tips. In the time he spent at Lifecare Tom won the hearts of the many nurses and staff who cared for him. They loved to visit his room and said he always made them smile. He leaves behind his wife of 54 years, Linda Butcher, his son and daughter in-law, Jeff Butcher and Serenity Carr, his two grandchildren, Artemas and Augustus, his sister-in- law Sandra Giard, his niece Susan Russian and the many, many friends he made in his life. He was preceded in death by his parents, John and Tekla Butcher and his brother-in- law, Arthur Giard. Visiting hours will be held at Ludlow Funeral Home on Thursday, July 10th from 9:00-10:30am followed by a Chapel Service at the funeral home beginning at 10:30, burial will follow in Reservoir Cemetery. Friends are invited to join the family for a reception after at Tony and Penny’s in Ludlow. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Beacon Hospice Care, 815 Worcester St, Springfield, MA 01151 or Lifecare Center of Wilbraham, 2399 Boston Rd. Wilbraham, MA 01095.
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Previous Events
Visitation
Thursday
10
Jul
9:00 AM
- 10:30 AM
Ludlow Funeral Home
432 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Service
Thursday
10
Jul
10:30 AM
Ludlow Funeral Home
432 East St.
Ludlow, MA 01056
Cemetery Details
Location
Reservoir Cemetery
1150 Center Street
Ludlow, Ma 01056
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