A Celebration of Life for Doug Butler will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, June 19, 2021 at Ketterling's Point at Shadehill Reservoir south of Lemmon, SD.  Pastor Rand Bentley will officiate.  Those attending are asked to bring a lawn chair.

Douglas (Doug) Dean Butler was born on September 7, 1953, the youngest child born to Frank and Stella (Peterson) Butler.  He joined oldest brother, Gary, and 2 sisters, Sandy and Karen.  He was born in Perkins County, Lemmon, South Dakota, where he would spend the majority of his life.  Doug passed from this life in his home at Shadehill, South Dakota, on March 13, 2020.  He was 66 years old.

From a young age, Doug seemed to live a life of no fear, making family and friends "roll their eyes" in wonder.  In fact, it is said he would put the "fear of God" in some if you got on his bad side.  But if you were Doug's friend, you were his friend forever.  He would do anything for his family and friends.

During his school years, he spent a lot of time at the family farm, south of Bison, doing everything from farming and haying to fixing.  He was noted to be a fixer, whether working on a pickup or a piece of machinery, or doing a little carpentry. He attended school in Lemmon, graduating with the Lemmon High School Class of 1971. After graduation he continued to farm with his dad.

After his father's tragic death in 1975, Doug relocated to the farm at Shadehill where he called home, farming, haying, and raising a few head of cattle.  Because of its location close to Shadehill Lake, he always referred to the lake as "his lake" spending hours on the lake with his boat, jet ski, and friends, hunting and fishing.

Always looking for adventure, Doug took a few years off, headed for Alaska to work on a fishing boat, bringing home a load of fish.  He owned and operated Doug Butler Trucking, worked for Max Myhre Construction, a sort of "jack of all trades" character.  If you ever met him, you never forgot him; Doug was a "memorable" guy.

Doug is survived by his sister, Sandy Leonard of Bison, South Dakota, and her children, Brad (Kelli) Leonard and their son, Reese, and Barbie (Jason) Umstad and her children, Madeline and Owen, his sister, Karen Varland of Lemmon, South Dakota, and her children Camille (Marlin) McMakin and her children Hudson, Jacob, and Ryan, and Bob Varland, Jr. and Casey Varland, and numerous cousins and friends.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Stella, one brother Gary, and two brothers- in-law, Dean Leonard and Bob Varland.

Cremation has taken place and a Memorial Service will be held at a later date.