Philip Butto

BUTTO Philip Butto, age 92 of Trumbull, died on Wednesday, March 10, 2010 in St. Vincent Medical Center. Born in New York, N.Y. on January 1, 1918, he was a son of the late Giuseppe and Salvatora Giaimo Butto. Philip received his grammar education in Marina de Patti, Sicily and continued his education for two more years at the seminary in Patti. After leaving the seminary, Philip attended the Liceo Classico in Barcelona, Sicily for four years. He was going to pursue an engineering degree at the University of Messina in Sicily, however, due to the bad economy, he returned to America and began to work for his future father-in-law at the Seaside Blouse Manufacturing Company. In 1941, Phil was drafted into the U.S. Army and luckily remained stateside. Upon his army discharge, he returned home and married his girl Bessie and a few years later his daughter, Sally, was born. Phil continued his training in the garment industry and upon completion of pattern making school, he and his wife took control of the Seaside Blouse Manufacturing Company. Together, they modernized the factory and increased production of blouses from 5,000 to 8,000 weekly. Although Philip was busy running a business and going into New York City three times a week for schooling, he found the time to help quite a few Italians and other European people to enter the United States. Philip cooperated for many years with John Gramigna of the Gramigna Travel Agency and Miss Vigo of the Bridgeport International Institute by providing documents and guarantees of work. Phil was a long time member and past officer of the Trinacria M. A. Society and received the Trinacria Civic Award in 1991. He was an active member of the former Bridgeport Italian Community Center, the Trumbull Italian Club, the Trumbull Exchange Club and the Tashua Knolls Seniors. In his retirement years, he worked at Tashua Knolls Golf Course as a starter and ranger and loved to golf at every opportunity. He was very proud to have made a hole in one. In addition to his beloved wife of 64 years, Bessie Giangrasso Butto and daughter, Sally N. Butto, survivors include a brother, John Butto and his wife, Millie of Brick, N.J.; two brothers-in-law, Dr. Anthony Giangrasso and his wife, Bettie and Attorney Nicholas Giangrasso and his wife, Hilda, all of Trumbull; as well as several loving nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews. He was predeceased by two brothers, Anthony and Nicolino Butto and two sisters, Febronia Giangrasso and Gaetana Cuillo. Funeral services will take place on Tuesday, March 16, 2010 at 9 a.m. in the Abriola Parkview Funeral Home, 419 White Plains Road, Trumbull, and at 10 a.m. in Christ the King Church, Trumbull for a Mass of Christian Burial. Interment will follow in Long Hill Burial Grounds, Trumbull. Friends may call on Monday from 4 to 7 p.m. Members of the Trinacria M.A. Society will exemplify a ritual at 5 p.m. on Monday in the funeral home. Memorial donations may be made to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society of America, 300 Research Parkway, Suite 310, Meriden, CT 06450. To light a virtual candle, visit us at www.abriola.com.