Tom C Butler

Tom was born to Norma and Charles Butler in Cincinnati, Ohio on June 30, 1937. Growing up in Cincinnati, Ohio in the 1940s and 1950s, he could often be found sitting in the stands watching a Reds game with his mother. Tom told stories about getting out of school early to attend opening day, often in the rain and snow.

If you knew Tom, you can remember his life through the sporting events he attended. Tom attended his first Indianapolis 500 in 1957. He went on to attend for 60 consecutive years. Tom was a lap sponsor for years and, with that, he was able to tour the pits during practice and on race day. One of his greatest memories was shaking Mario Andretti’s hand in the pits before the race and one of his few sentimental moments would come at the singing of “Back Home Again in Indiana”, “Taps” and the flyover before the race. It was the most exciting moment in all of sports for Tom.

Tom made lifelong friends at Hughes High School and they reunited every year. After Tom stopped driving, he hired a driver to take him and Mary to the reunion, such was the commitment to their friendships.

After high school, Tom attended the University of Cincinnati where he received his degree and met the love of his life, Mary Stadler. They wed on April 11, 1959. To the last, he described Mary as the “perfect” wife for him. Before children, they adopted their first Siamese cat, Max. Mary and Tom would have several Maxes and other cats throughout their lives. They welcomed two children, Tom Jr., in 1960, and Jeannie, in 1966.

Another milestone happened in 1968 when the Bengals franchise began playing in Cincinnati. Tom held season tickets until 2018 and would take Tom Jr. to games throughout the 60s, 70s and 80s. Later, he introduced his older grandchildren, Charlie and Sam, to the joys of football. He also held season tickets to the Colts from 1984 – 2018. At the Bengals’ games, Charlie and Sam recall their grandfather singing with tears in his eyes:

“Here the Bengals growlin’, mean and angry, here he comes a prowlin’, lean and hungry, an offensive brute, run pass or boot, and defensively he’s rough … tough, Cincinnati Bengals, that’s the team we’re going to cheer to victory. Touchdown Bengals, Get some points up on that board and win a game for Cincinnati. Who Dey! Who Dey! Who Dey think gonna beat them Bengals? Nobody!”

The family moved to Columbus, Indiana, in 1972, and Tom started working at Stadler Packing Company. He continued on after Stadler’s became Mariah Packing Company. Tom bonded with his fellow coworkers by coordinating the football pool each week. Even after retirement, he would continue running the pool during football season.

If there was a sunny day in between other sports events, you could find Tom on the links of Otter Creek. Weather permitting, he golfed daily after his retirement and built friendships as he played with different people on different days of the week.

During Tom’s heyday, he could recite sports statistics, spewing facts quicker than his grandkids could Google. He tracked the number of holes of golf he played each season. His ability to retain sports statistics was a source of pride. Tom was the ultimate sports fan.

Come celebrate Tom’s life on Friday, December 23rd from 3 – 6 p.m. at Hathaway-Myers Chapel, 1022 Pearl Street, in Columbus. Wear your favorite sports gear and bring a story for the family to hear. Tom is survived by his wife, Mary; children, Tom, of Santa Clara, CA, and Jeannie (Scott) Overton, of Columbus; a sister, Kathy (Mike) Krug, of Cincinnati; 3 grandchildren, Charlie (Dana) DeLap, Sam DeLap and Arie Arbuckle. He welcomed two great-grandchildren, Emery and Emerson. Private interment will occur at a later date. In lieu of flowers, please donate in Tom’s memory to the Bartholomew County Humane Society. Special thanks to the patience and kind staff of the skilled nursing unit at Four Season Retirement Center and to Dr. Teresa Lovins for the compassionate and knowledgeable care.