Agnes Butki

Agnes Virginia Butki, 97, passed away peacefully on the morning of February 23 rd , 2024 surrounded by loved ones at her residence in Clearwater Florida. Agnes, also known affectionately as Aggie, mom, and Grammy, was born June 1st, 1926 to Rudolph Oscar and Hattie (Happe) Nimbach. She had two siblings, Mary Louise and Rudolf. At age 9, Agnes made the seaward journey to Germany where she traveled from family member to family member, for a year. Agnes, at an early age, learned the value of family and staying connected even at great distances. At age 13, Agnes learned to drive and was tasked with the duty of driving her mother and aunt to casinos in Toledo. She, ever responsible and never idle, also took on the responsibility of helping her mom in her mother’s beauty shop. She grew to love the work and attended beauty school at a young age, and subsequently took over her mother’s salon with her sister.

Agnes’ love story started off uniquely when a client, Aunt Violet set Agnes and her sister Mary up on a blind date with two men. Though the two sisters started off with different dates. Agnes was drawn to her sister’s date Aloysius, and by the end of the night, the two sisters switched dates, leading Agnes to begin dating her future husband, Aloysius Butki. Agnes and Aloysius continued to date on and off and their love ended up surviving the trials and tribulations of WWII when they finally got married in 1947. The two gave birth to 6 beautiful children and were heavily involved parents and dedicated Catholics. Aloysius was a baseball coach, while Agnes led Girl Scouts. The two purchased land in Applegate, MI., where they built Butki Farm Resort from the ground up. For over 30 years, the family would travel up to the Resort during the summer months, renting units to families from their parish, working hard, and enjoying the Michigan summer breeze. Their dedication to their children led the family to grow even more as the children grew older. Even after the two moved from Michigan to their retirement home in Florida, they stayed in touch with their children and family friends. Even when Agnes was not physically with her family, she was in constant contact with them through phone calls, and later video calls and messages. The two also encouraged the occasional and beloved tradition of Butki family reunions which were filled with softball, tennis, singing, laughter, and love. The family will continue this tradition of reunions for years to come.

When Aloysius passed away in December of 2003, Agnes was surrounded by support and love that carried her through the difficult time. Agnes, never known to be idle, took on many hobbies, including tennis, getting her nails done (sometimes by her loving grandchildren), traveling to visit family across the globe, watching Wheel of Fortune, and many more activities. Agnes taught her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren what it truly means to be a part of a family. She is survived by her two sons, Alan (Barbara) Butki, Gary (Edit) Butki and her four daughters, Audrey (Gregory) Lopetrone, Gail (John-deceased) Brandt, Cindy Ostrowski, and Carol (Peter) Krause, her niece Doreen (Tom) Collins, 17 grandchildren, 8 great grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and countless others affected by her gentle love, headstrong stubbornness, no-nonsense guidance, and the cherished memories she’s left along the way.

A Funeral Mass will be held Monday March 18, 2024
9:30 am visitation
10:00 MASS
St. Michael the Archangel Catholic
2281 State Road 580
Clearwater, Fl

Burial will follow at 2:30pm
Bushnell National Cemetery
Bushnell, FL

In lieu of flowers the family ask donations to be made to Suncoast Hospice Foundation, 5771 Roosevelt Blvd., Clearwater, Fl 33760 or online.
https://suncoasthospicefoundation.org/donate2/