Kevin J Butler

 Rev. Kevin J. Butler, age 67, went to meet his personal Lord and Savior after passing away at home on April 23, 2025.

Kevin was born on Sept. 20, 1957, in Utica, New York, to Howard Eugene and Betty (Jackson) Butler. He married his high school sweetheart, Janet Davis, on Sept. 1, 1979 in Verona. The ministry called him away from his beloved New England roots as he went to seminary at Methodist Theological School in Ohio before landing in Middleton, Wisconsin. Kevin and Janet moved to Janesville in early 1989 with their brood of 4 kids- Jenny, Crystal, Matthew, and Jackson. There, they provided a loving, Christian home for their children to grow up in, where their attention and affection were infinite.

In 1993, Kevin agreed to fill in and preach at a small community church in rural Fort Atkinson…on a temporary basis. 30-plus years later, Pastor Kevin was still shepherding his faithful flock at St. John’s Community Church, who had become his extended family. Kevin also honored the Sabbath and worshiped as a member of the Seventh Day Baptist Church in Milton. For his ‘day job,’ Kevin served as the editor of one of the longest-running church magazines in the country, The Sabbath Recorder, for 25 years before his retirement in 2013. Most readers flipped directly to the inside back cover to read ‘Kevin’s Korner’ first, where Kevin’s flair for storytelling and his passion for Christ were evident.

Kevin saw the world with his wife and travel partner, Janet, at his side. They crossed off 50 states before he turned 50 (‘We were in Alaskan waters, it counts!’), and managed to see all 7 continents before 70 with a trip of a lifetime cruise in Antarctica in early 2024. But they also enjoyed yearly ‘leaf-peeping’ adventures, whether to New England or closer to home around upstate Wisconsin. They saw beauty in everything around them, both in locations and in people. He also found pleasure in exotic cheeses, weird flavors of coffee, and had a quirky interest in grocery stores, gas station convenience stores, and country stores. He also collected transistor radios, several for every room in the house, to listen to NPR or cheer on the Red Sox or Brewers.

Those left to cherish his memory are wife of 45 years, Janet, daughters Jenny (Greg) Hipskind (Rock Island, IL), Crystal (Tristan) Walker (Cumming, GA), and sons Matthew (Danielle) Butler (North Las Vegas, NV) and Jackson (Katelyn) Butler (Chicago, IL). He was a proud Papa to Adrik, Kyler, Leah, Emma, Adilee, Kalvary, Theo, and Finn. His congregation at St. John’s and the extended church family at Milton SDB. Kevin’s sisters Kimberly (John) Nethaway, and Kristen Russell. Mother-in-law Marie Davis Smith, and in-laws Cindy (Steve) Freihofer, Donna (Bill) Wiley, Nancy (Steve) Tucker, numerous nieces and nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins. 

He is preceded in death by his mother, father, and many cherished church family members. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in his memory to St. John’s Community Church and/or Milton Seventh Day Baptist Church. 

Visitation will be on Monday,  April 28, 2025 from 4-7pm at Nitardy Funeral Home 1008 Madison Ave. Fort Atkinson, WI. Funeral Services will be held on Tuesday, April 29, 2025 at 2:00pm at the Milton SDB Church 720 E. Madison Ave. Milton, WI.