Daniel R. Butler

Daniel R. Butler

Media, PA - Daniel R. Butler, 87, of Media, PA, and former longtime resident of Wallingford, PA, died unexpectedly, on February 5, 2021. He was the only child of, and predeceased by, his parents, Gordon and Miriam (Cahill) Butler of Marion, Ohio. Dan is survived by his beloved spouse and trusted life partner of 60 years, Linda Zehring Butler; his children and their partners and spouses: Lisa Butler (Daniel Henderson), Jeffrey D. Butler (Sarah Reinecke), Douglas R. Butler (Luanne), and Gretchen Butler Clayton (Jay); and eleven grandchildren.

Butler was a wonderful husband and father, as well as a successful businessman, mentor, and quiet philanthropist.

Born and raised in the rural town of Mt. Victory, Ohio, Dan graduated in 1954 from Ohio Wesleyan University, with a double-major in Journalism and History. He participated in ROTC, reaching the rank of 2nd lieutenant by graduation. After college, he served in the US Air Force from 1954 -1957 as a pilot, carrying paratroopers in C-119 transport planes. Returning to Ohio afterward, Dan took a job in the Admissions office of Ohio Wesleyan, while attending business school at Ohio State in the evenings. The decision to return to Ohio Wesleyan changed the course of his life, as he met a smart and beautiful student named Linda who was assisting in the same office as a work study student; the couple married in 1960. Butler accepted a job with Wellington Management Company in Philadelphia in 1961 and graduated with his MBA in 1962. At Wellington, Dan played an instrumental role in the growing mutual fund industry, working 12 years for Jack Bogle, who later founded Vanguard.

Inspired while attending Harvard Business School's Advanced Management Program in 1973, Butler started his own business in 1974 with his wife Linda, operating out of an extra bedroom. The weekly Butler Money Fund Report was the first publication that tracked the holdings of specific money market funds and reported on industry changes in the emerging money market fund marketplace. He sold the newsletter several years later. Still published, it is now known as the iMoneyNet Money Fund Report.

In 1975, Butler took the CEO position at privately held Corporation Service Company, providing incorporation services in the State of Delaware. Over the following 38 years, Dan, with the help of exemplary employees, steadily led the growth of the company, retiring as Chairman in 2013. Thereafter, he served as Emeritus Member of the Board until his death. He was proud that the firm won the accolade of "Best Place to Work" in Delaware for many years running and in several other office locations. In 2013, Butler was inducted into the Delaware Business Leaders Hall of Fame.

In addition to serving his country, Dan shared his talents in his community by serving two elected terms as Nether Providence Township Commissioner, and as Judge of Elections. He taught Sunday School and served as the Finance Committee Chairman of both the Swarthmore Methodist Church and The Old Mill in Rose Valley. For many years, Dan served as Board Member at the National Constitution Center; he was also a two-term Board member of the Riddle Village retirement community and belonged to both the Union League of Philadelphia and the Wilmington Club.

Friends, colleagues, and family alike will remember Dan's self-effacing and wry humor; his gentle teasing; his unpretentious steadiness; his integrity; his kind and thoughtful mentorship of colleagues and employees at all levels; and his bemused and deep commitment to his beloved large family, of whom he was very proud.

Due to the pandemic, there are no plans for a service at this time. The family gratefully offers the names of two organizations for memorial donations in Dan's name: The National Constitution Center, Philadelphia, in recognition of his love of history; or Ohio Wesleyan University, Delaware, Ohio, an institution that prepared him for his incredible life.