Thomas "Tom" William Butler

Thomas William Butler, 78, of Blooming Prairie, Minnesota died on April 17, 2026, surrounded by family at Mayo Clinic Hospital Rochester, Saint Marys Campus, due to injuries from a car accident west of Waltham, Minnesota. He passed just as planting season, his favorite, was on the horizon.

Thomas "Tom" William Butler was born on July 12, 1947, in Owatonna, Minnesota, to Howard and Lorraine Butler. Tom attended a one room school in Newry Township until consolidation and graduated from Blooming Prairie High School in 1965, where he was active in wrestling, 4-H, and FFA. He received a BS in Agronomy from the University of Minnesota in 1969, and he especially enjoyed his opportunity to participate in an international farmer exchange program that took him to Peru.

Tom operated his family’s farm from 1970 until retirement in 2016. Tom learned early that every season carries both hardship and promise. He believed in the certainty of renewal; that even the harshest winters give way to green shoots. His land was his canvas, and the soil returned joy tenfold whether it was in its response to adopting new crops and methods in his relentless pursuit to conserve the land, restoring wildlife habitat to its natural state, or planting fields of wildflowers for the neighbors and his beloved wife Christine to enjoy.

Tom married Christine Wilkinson in 1974, and they raised their family in Section 19 of Newry Township together for 51 years. Tom’s neighbors knew him for his generosity and for showing up without being asked, whether to observe tile drainage, share advice, or add his quick wit to any conversation. He served multiple terms on both the Freeborn County Conservation and Turtle Creek Watershed boards. He loved fishing for trophy muskies with his son Carl on lakes throughout Minnesota, tending permanent conservation ground he managed with his son Jon and hosting all of his wonderful grandchildren on the farm whenever he could.

He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Christine; his children, Howard (Rhonda) Butler, Meghan Butler, Carl Butler, and Jonathan (Lyric) Butler; grandchildren, Tommy, Nathan, Brynn, Brecken, Madeline, Brayden, and Brooks; sisters, Jeanne Harmon and Rita (Pete) Peterson; brother, Greg (Madeline) Butler; several nieces and nephews; and his furry buddy who hated washie-clothesie, Henry.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Howard and Lorraine Butler; mother-in-law, Margaret Whiting, father-in-law, John Whiting; and brothers-in-law, Doug Anderson and Lew Harmon. As the fields he tended begin to stir with new life, so too does his memory take root in those who knew him. In every seed planted this season, there is an echo of Tom’s boisterous spirit – a reminder that ends are never final, but part of a greater turning toward renewal. Blessed be his memory.

A memorial service will be held at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, May 3, 2026, at First Lutheran Church in Blooming Prairie, Minnesota. The visitation will take place from 1:00-2:30 p.m. prior to the service. Interment will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Newry Township. Worlein-Hoff Funeral Homes are assisting the family with arrangements.