Dr. Robert Willis Butman

"See you on the other side!" - Bob Butman

Dr. Robert (Bob) Willis Butman was born in Syracuse, New York on January 22, 1932 to Reverend Frederick Henry Butman, a Methodist Minister, and his wife Eunice, the last of their four children: Avis Farber; Carol Root; Donald (Don) Butman; and Bob. Bob’s childhood was filled with music and adventures in the outdoors. He loved forestry.

After high school, Bob entered Syracuse University where he met and married his wife, Jean, in 1952. After graduating, they moved to Michigan to pursue graduate studies at the University of Michigan and start their family, which included three daughters. Bob completed his Master of Arts in Sociology in 1957 and received his Ph.D. in Education there in 1969. He also served in the Army National Guard in the late 1950s.

Upon completing their Doctorates, Bob, Jean, and their three daughters moved to Oregon where Jean had been offered a research position at the Northwest Regional Educational Laboratory in Portland. They bought a small farm in the Dundee Hills. Bob’s regular occupation was Education. He served as a Sociology Instructor for Chemeketa Community College and taught as a substitute in Yamhill County and the surrounding area. Bob also tended the farm which included a large menagerie of animals: horses, a cow, chickens, a goose, dogs, and cats. He planted evergreen trees on a portion of the property, harvested hay, raised pigs, and, later, grew wine grapes.

Bob and Jean were early environmentalists who recycled and composted long before it was popular. They taught their children to value nature. Watering the evergreens Bob had planted, fetching fresh fruits and vegetables from the garden, and recycling paper and cans were everyday chores. Bob believed in social justice. He would not tolerate racism and taught others to appreciate and welcome diverse points of view. He and Jean welcomed strangers and anyone with life struggles to their home where there was always an open door, food on the table, and a listening ear. 

Music was an integral part of Bob’s life. He played the violin in school and taught himself how to play the banjo when his daughters were young. Every Friday night the family had a “hootenanny”, singing folk songs with the girls dancing on end tables or with their mom. When they retired, Bob and Jean served two years in the Peace Corps in the Solomon Islands after which they relocated to Vermont. While living in Vermont, Bob joined the Curbstone Chorus, a barbershop quartet choir, performing at venues around southeast Vermont.

Bob loved to play bridge, Euchre, dominoes, Yahtzee, and The Farming Game. He was a competitive game player, even when playing Candyland and Chutes and Ladders with his grandchildren. After Bob’s wife entered memory care, he regularly played bridge in a club at the McMinnville Senior Center. Bob, an avid sports fan, followed many sports and teams, always coaching from the couch. He loved golfing and fishing, including ice fishing, and camping. He taught his daughters to play sports and always attended their sporting events.

It is always difficult to say goodbye to someone we love and cherish. Robert Willis Butman of McMinnville, Oregon died December 31, 2025, at the age of 93. He was predeceased by his wife of 67 years, Jean Helen (Woodward) Butman, who died in 2019; his parents; his sisters and his brother. He is survived by his children, Laurel Suzanne Butman, Cynthia Helaine Robertson, and Karina Robin Kingman. He is also survived by many grandchildren, great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.