John D. Butcher, 79, of Montpelier passed away Monday evening at his home. He was born on December 25, 1936 in Massillon, Ohio to John Paul and Mary Louise (Butcher) Neff. John graduated from Massillon High School in 1955, he played on the Massillon Tigers State Championship football team that year. He went on to Ohio Northern University in Ada, Ohio to get his Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and he also played football for the Polar Bears. On June 6, 1960 he married Rose Marie Majean and she preceded him in death on April 3, 2016.
John received his Master’s in Administration from Northern State Teachers College in Aberdeen, North Dakota. He started his career in education at Superior Local Schools in rural Montpelier as a fifth grade teacher and was also an assistant Varsity Football Coach at Montpelier High School. He left Montpelier to become the principle of Cooney Schools in Cooney, Ohio. From there he was a principle at Massillon Schools for approximately 20 years, before returning to Montpelier in 1991 to assist with the football program for several years. He was an assistant football coach at Tri-State University in Angola for 1 year, then went on to take a job at Angola High School in Special Education and assisted with the football program there for 10 years until his retirement in 2011.
He was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Montpelier and the Montpelier Moose.
John is survived by one daughter Andrea (Mike) McWright of Rineyville, Kentucky; sister-in-law Patricia Radabaugh of Montpelier; brother-in-law Mike (Joan) Majean of Green Valley, Arizona; and siblings, Bob (Susan) Neff of Morehead, Kentucky, Eric (Debbie) Neff of Canton, Ohio, Judene (Don) Domer of Canton, Ohio, Kathleen Neff of Canton, Ohio, Mary Lynne (Pat) Offredo of Massillon, Ohio, Monica (Eric) Forsberg of Highland Heights, Ohio, and Christine Eaton of Canton, Ohio.
He was preceded in death by his parents and wife Rose.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Sacred Heart Catholic Church. Online condolences can be left for the family at www.thethompsonfuneralhome.com