Obituary of Dr. Norman Butterman

With profound sadness we announce the passing of Dr. Norman Butterman, beloved husband, father, grandfather and innovative dentist who saved teeth for 25 years in Montreal and another 20 years in Aurora, Colorado where he founded The Dental Health Center. His motto was “Every Tooth is Precious” and to him every person was precious. His practice was passed to his son, Daniel, who had the gift of working with him. Norman’s grandson, Kevin Butterman, will soon be starting dental school. Norman passed away on May 28, 2020 in Denver, one month shy of his 91st birthday. A service was held on May 31, 2020 and live streamed on Zoom. Norman was born on June 25, 1929 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada where he attended Baron Byng and West Hill High School, McGill University and McGill Dental School at a time when the dental school had a 2% quota for admitting Jewish students. He paid for dental school by working as a waiter and captain in the dining rooms of The Manoir Richelieu. He met Marilyn Silver on Labor Day weekend in 1960 when he was visiting the Tarlton Resort in the Catskills. They met on the beach when he asked her to hold his watch while he went for a swim, and they were engaged by the end of the weekend. Their marriage was an incredible love story for almost 60 years. Norman and Marilyn raised four children in their home in Cote St. Luc, Quebec, and with the birth of each child he added an extra dental chair to his office to cover the additional expenses. He was passionate about skiing and taught his four children to ski, starting a family tradition of passion for skiing that has continued with his children and grandchildren. He skied until ten years ago, when he was 80. His children describe him as “a quiet man of incredible integrity, passion, talent, creativity, and love”. His grandsons say he was “Our role model for optimism and a positive outlook”, and he inspired his grandson Jason to go into medicine. Norman loved the outdoors and the family spent almost every weekend in their home in Lac Breton in the Laurentian Mountains, which Marilyn named, “Pumpkin Hill”. In the summers they picked wild raspberries, went for long walks in the woods, and climbed the weeping willow trees. In the winter, in the early years, Norman laced up four pairs of ski boots of his young children and they skied every Saturday and Sunday, warming their toes by the fireplace upon their return. Norman served as president of the Lac Breton neighborhood association, and was known for throwing fabulous summer parties on the beach. His daughter Susan remembers swimming across the lake with him when he was president to make peace with the families on the other side to end years of feuding between the two sides of the lake. Susan says, “He was thoughtful and innovative, coming up with the most creative solutions to problems.” He also gave his family a love for the ocean, and their family spent many winter vacations in their Miami Beach home. In July of 1979, spawned by the major political conflicts in Quebec at that time, Norman and Marilyn moved their family of six to Colorado in order to give their children more opportunities. He started and built up his new practice again from scratch, and the family enjoyed many fantastic days of skiing together in the Colorado Rockies. When the children were grown, his wife Marilyn joined the dental practice as the Office Manager. In his later years, he continued to stay active with gardening, fixing everything around the house, spending time with his beloved wife, and managing his real estate business, which he had built up on the side. Norman is survived by his wife, Marilyn Butterman, his sister, Rita Stein of Montreal, three of his four children, Susan (David) Brody and Daniel (Irene) Butterman (of Denver), and Steven Butterman (of Miami Beach), and five of his six grandchildren, Jason Brody, Zachary Hunter, Adam, Kevin and Jared Butterman. Contributions may be made to The Hebrew Educational Alliance, www.headenver.org or The American Heart Association, www.heart.org.