Terry K Buter, 67, of Hersey, formerly of Holland, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2025.
Terry was born August 3, 1957. He and his younger brother, Tom, were sons of Kenneth and Shirley Buter of Zeeland. Terry went to Zeeland Christian School and graduated from Holland Christian High School where he was an avid wrestler. Terry married Marlene Ward on March 27, 1982, and together they raised their two daughters in Holland.
Terry worked for many years as a supervisor at ODL in Zeeland then he worked as a tow truck driver and became part-owner of D&L services. Terry later went on to manage Bob’s Auto Tech, owned by his good friend Larry DeBoer. They built great relationships with many Ottawa County police officers.
Outside of work, Terry often enjoyed wrenching on the family’s vehicles from his home garage where he built up his wide-ranging collection of useful tools and parts. Terry took pride in being able to recall without fail and provide detailed instruction on where each tool could be found as they all had a specific spot in his massive red tool chest.
During his life, Terry was a motorcycle enthusiast and spent many years on his Goldwing going to the annual Blessing of the Bikes festival. Terry also enjoyed fishing and hunting with his good friend, Rick Kruid. After becoming disabled, and with Marlene entering retirement, they moved up to Hersey, where most of her family lives nearby.
Terry was preceded in death by his parents Kenneth and Shirley Buter, his nephew Sean Buter, his sister-in-law Jayne Buter, and in-laws: Michael Ward, Dorene Scharke, Kathleen McLachlin, and Pat McCauley.
Terry is survived by his wife of 42 years, Marlene (Ward) Buter, daughters: Sandra (Michael) Dankovic, Chris (Matt) Mills, brother Tom Buter, in-laws: Eileen Heeringa, Cristine (Ed) Shearer, Gary Scharke, Duane McCauley, Pauline (Gordon) Fisher, Terrie Vann-Ward, Mark (Laura) Ward, Matthew (Donna) Ward, nephew: Tory (Lauren) Buter, three grandchildren: Cayden Mills, twins Leilani and Kiera Mills, and many extended family members and friends.
Marlene, Sandra and Chris would like to honor Terry’s final wishes by welcoming family and friends to one or both of the open-house style celebration of life gatherings for Terry Buter. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Harbor Humane Society (https://harborhumane.org/donate/) or your local animal shelter.
Friday, March 28, 2025
4:00-7:00 PM
Yntema Funeral Home
251 S. State Street
Zeeland, MI 49464
Saturday, March 29, 2025
12:00-3:00 PM
Green Township Hall
21431 Northland Dr
Paris, MI 49338
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