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Donald ‘Butch’ Forsythe Obituary – 8/17/2013


Donald L. “Butch” Forsythe, age 67, of rural Buffalo, died Saturday, Aug. 17, 2013, at The Golden LivingCenter in Delano.

He was born March 8, 1946, in Monticello, to Winfred and Gladys Forsythe.

Butch grew up in rural Buffalo and loved life on the farm. He attended a one-room country school for grades one through eight in Hanover, and graduated from Buffalo High School in 1964.

He enlisted in the United States Army, served in Vietnam, and was honorably discharged in 1967.

Butch then moved back home, took over the family farm, and met the love of his life, Mary Engel, while waterskiing on Lake Charlotte. Mary and Butch were married Sept. 26, 1970, and over the next 11 years, they were blessed with four children: Amy, Aaron, Amanda, and Angie.

Butch continued to farm until 1985, when he began working for Engel’s Trucking Service.

Mary passed away after a battle with cancer in 1986, and Butch continued raising his children until 1989, when he suffered a brain aneurysm and stroke. Over the next 23 years, he lived in care facilities in Buffalo, Sauk Rapids, and finally the Golden LivingCenter in Delano.

Throughout his life, Butch enjoyed trap shooting, water skiing, playing cards, attending threshing shows, making trips to the casino, and visiting with family, friends, and his grandchildren.

Although Butch’s life was not always the easiest, he remained happy and full of life until the end. A loving man, a wonderful father and grandfather, he will be greatly missed by all who knew him.

Butch is survived by his children, Amy (Tim) Matter, Aaron Forsythe (Kim Stone), Amanda (Jeremy) Peterson, and Angie (J) McClelland; grandchildren Gabe and Eli Hance, Dylan Stone, Eva and Anna McClelland, and Wesley and Reed Peterson; and by a sister, Mary Ellen (Muddy) Krause.

In addition to his wife, Mary, he was preceded in death by his parents, Winfred and Gladys Forsythe; and sisters Muriel Zumbusch, Ruth Hage, Winnie Holtan, and Maggie Varholdt.

The funeral service took place Friday, Aug. 23, at 1 p.m. at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Buffalo, with visitation beginning at 11 a.m. at the church. In lieu of flowers, a memorial in Butch and Mary Forsythe’s name can be sent to St. John’s Lutheran Church, in Buffalo.

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