Sydney Everett Butland
1937-2021
Sydney Everett Butland, 84,
of Riverview passed away on January 10th, 2021 after
a brief illness at the Moncton Hospital.
Sydney was born in Alma, NB on January 6th, 1937, the son of
the late John and Myrtle (Ross) Butland.
Sydney attended high school at the Alma Superior School then
went on to Teacher’s College in Fredericton, where he graduated with
his Teaching Degree. He furthered his education at
the Université de Moncton,
taking night courses while teaching full-time. His passion
was teaching and he taught school in Alma for over 35 years as a
teacher and then Principal.
Sydney was a man of great accomplishments.
He loved to laugh and not take himself too seriously, which helped him
deal well with all his students. He was a
talented organist and shared his ability by playing at the
Alma Baptist Church, Eastern Star meetings and the St.
Stephen’s United Church, when needed. In 1984, he
started the Harbourview Market & Coffee Shop in Alma with his
wife and brother, where he put his cooking skills to work.
He enjoyed meeting many tourists and providing the spot for all the
locals to meet in Albert County. While his daughters were
teens, their friends grew to affectionately call him “Papa
Syd” and he loved hearing this term of endearment, which stuck
with him the rest of his life. He was very community-minded and was
honoured when he received the Queen’s Diamond
Jubilee Medal for his outstanding Community
Service. Sydney was an active member and Past Patron of
Winston Churchill Chapter #19, Order of The Eastern Star and
played a significant role in keeping things organized,
especially on the Catering Committee. He enjoyed theatre,
acting in a local community theatre troupe. He went on to
create the Winston Churchill Players, an Eastern Star dinner theatre
family, where his true personality flourished as he wrote many musical
comedies. His entertaining abilities were second to
none; he loved to laugh and have fun. He could always be
found telling stories and laughing with everyone he knew – he was an
entertaining conversationalist.
Sydney had a great life and lived it to the fullest; the way
he lived has given his family a true example of the meaning of
life. He loved his family so much and taught them how to
enjoy the little things. His grandchildren and
great-grandson were the apple of his eye. Sydney liked to
watch all sports from his easy chair, especially curling, the
Toronto Blue Jays and Toronto Maple Leafs. He was a true sports fan
and enrolled his grandson, Ian, in curling at an early age and was
thrilled to see William involved in many sports. He travelled to many
curling, swimming and hockey events, always wanting to be involved in
whatever his grandchildren were doing in their lives. Kyleen
shares his passion for cooking and often would call him for one of
“Gramp’s favourite recipes” or for his input with
one of her college assignments. He was
definitely one of a kind and his bubbly personality will live
on forever. He would want everyone to remember a story about
him and smile as fond memories come to you, especially if it brought a
good chuckle.
He will be deeply missed by his loving wife, Eleanor
(Kyle) Butland; his daughters, Heather McKinley (Allan)
of Riverview and
Susan Steeves (Jeff) of Moncton; son, Paul Butland
(Sarah) of Frasers Mountain, NS; his precious
grandchildren, Kyleen (Chris), Ian and William; his
treasured great-grandson, Jonah; brothers-in-law, Dean Kyle
of BC and Paul Kyle (Kathleen)
of Edgett’s Landing. He will also be
missed by his special cousin, Isabel Hicks (Dale) of Riverview who was
like a sister to him; his nieces and nephews, Timothy Butland (Lynn),
Virginia Taumoli (Simpson), Beth Bergen (Reynold), and Vanessa Kyle;
his American extended family, The Harringtons, whose visits on either
side of the border brought him such happiness and laughter; his
wonderful cousins who share so many of his childhood memories,
great-nieces, great-nephews and by many good friends.
Besides his parents, he was predeceased by his brother,
Kenneth and sister-in-law, Lorna; nephews, Michael Butland and Brent
Kyle.
Due to COVID, once able, there will be a
Celebration of Life gathering when we can celebrate in “true
Sydney fashion”. Interment will be in the Mountain View
Cemetery, Lower Cape, NB at a later date.
For those who wish, donations to the Extra Mural
Program or to the Lottie L. Kyle Scholarship Fund (Order of the
Eastern Star) would be greatly appreciated.
The family would like to say a special thank you to all the
Extra Mural Nurses, especially “our” Heather Kennedy and to
all the staff of 4200 at the Moncton Hospital, especially Emily and
Emilie (two “girls” who looked after him so well).
The care and support given, and kindness shown to his family, will
never be forgotten; you all have gone above and beyond the call of
duty.
Arrangements are in the care of the Albert County Funeral
Home, 4130 Route 114, Hopewell Cape, NB, E4H-3K2
734-2780
www.albertcountyfh.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Sydney Everett Butland 19372021..
Death notice for the town of: Hopewell Cape, Province: Nouveau-Brunswick