John Erwin Butterfield died on Feb. 7, 2022, in Willcox, Arizona. He was born July 18, 1971, in Salt Lake City to Robert and Alice (Meadows) Butterfield.
John spent his childhood in the Salt Lake Valley before moving to Moab in early 1987 with his childhood sweetheart and future wife, Cheryl Chappell, and son, Timothy. The family spent most of John’s adult life in Moab, where John and Cheryl welcomed three more children into the world – Jason on Feb. 10, 1988; John R. (John John) on March 21, 1989; and Patrick on Sept. 22, 2002. John and Cheryl were officially married on July 12, 2007, although they were a couple for 20 years prior.
Following the move to Moab, John performed various jobs before briefly relocating to Price to obtain his commercial driver’s license from the College of Eastern Utah (now Utah State University Eastern) shortly after John John’s birth. His commercial driver’s license allowed him to do jobs such as driving for Tag-A-Long Expeditions and various film projects in the Moab area. John later worked in construction and as a cook in various Moab restaurants, including the Moab Brewery shortly after it opened. He regained his commercial driver’s license in the mid-2000s, which led him to work at LeGrand Johnson Construction and Savage Companies in Moab, Price, and Rifle, Colorado.
John endured a lifetime of back and hearing problems which made everyday tasks excruciatingly painful. After his son John John passed away on April 25, 2017, John moved from Price back to Moab, and later to on Willcox, Arizona. The death of his son took a sharp toll on his health, and he spent a lot of time in and out of hospitals, particularly following a heart attack in July 2019.
John loved his family and friends and would do anything within his power to provide help when he was called upon. He was the epitome of the message of the song: “Find Out Who Your Friends Are” by Tracy Lawrence: he would drop everything and be wherever you needed him at the drop of a hat. Even with his body in pain, he would help fix or repair whatever needed fixing. He had a charm and a sharp wit, often inciting laughter and smiles from those around him.
John was preceded in death by his father, Robert; and his son, John John. He is survived by his mother, Alice; his wife, Cheryl; his sister, Barbara (Charles) Zeiler; his sons, Timothy (Dustee), Jason and Patrick; his grandchildren, Serenity, Jayden and Tanner; and countless other family and friends.
A family viewing will take place on Thursday, Feb. 10 at 6 p.m., at Westlawn Chapel and Mortuary, (105 S. Arizona Ave., Willcox, Arizona) after which cremation will take place. In lieu of flowers, donations toward funeral costs can be made directly to the mortuary by calling (520) 384-2413 or by Venmoing @Dustee-Chappell.
