Mary Butler

Mary Butler, age 83, passed away peacefully December 27, 2019 at Mt. Sinai West Hospital. She was born December 12, 1936 in New York City to William and Martha Haskins Butler. She was a proud lifelong New Yorker, raised on the Upper East Side, attending Convent of the Sacred Heart – 91st Street, Manhattanville College and University College Dublin. In 1973, Mary purchased a brownstone on the Upper West Side where she lived for over 40 years. She treasured hosting dinner parties in the backyard garden and tending to her flowers. Most recently, she lived in Midtown West close to the Opera, theatre and restaurants she loved.

Mary traveled early in her life and lived for a year in Ireland, and then Greece. Her early professional life was spent working for women’s magazines, where she rose to the position of Beauty Editor at Harper’s Bazaar in the late 1960’s. Later in her career, she was a cosmetic executive at Helena Rubinstein and Revlon. Mary was a writer, editor, teacher, and mentor.

With the move to the Upper West Side, Mary found her role as community activist. She was an active member of the West 95th Street Residents Association, playing an integral part in preserving the historical character of the block. Her love of reading led her to many years as a proud docent at the New York Public Library.

Mary turned to the fabric arts in the 1980’s as an outlet for her creativity. Her hands were rarely still as she was always working on her next piece. In 2018, she was Artist in Residence at Peters Valley Craft Camp. Mary loved to share her passion with others. She served as president of the Empire Quilters Guild, taught sewing at Senior Centers and Women’s shelters. Every summer she looked forward to her classes at the Creative Arts Camp at the Convent of the Sacred Heart – 91st Street, where many of her summer students continued to take lessons during the school year.

Cherished sister, aunt, granty, cousin and friend to countless individuals. Please join us in celebrating her life Saturday January 18, 2020, 11:00am at Frank E. Campbell The Funeral Chapel 1076 Madison Avenue, New York, NY. Memorial contributions may be made to Convent of the Sacred Heart - 91st Street, www.cshnyc.org/giving/give-online.