Jewel Buttry

Jewel Buttry
Jewel was born on October 30, 1943 to Jewel and Betty Buttry in Morris illinois. He attended Mazon High School, graduated in 196l, and worked at the Morris Paper Mill, Quantum/Lyondell. He married Joyce Mitchell on August 28, 1965, and together they had 2 daughters, Kim and Pam.
Jewel will be remembered for his many contributions to Grundy County as he volunteered for many services and activities over the last 60-plus years. Jewel is most famously known as the corn dog king of Pam's Corn Dogs, where he helped countless dance families raise over a million dollars over the past thirty years to help them offset their costs for dance competitions, conventions, and trips. Jewel loved helping the dance families, getting to know each and every one of them, and making a difference in their lives.
Jewel was also passionate about the Grundy County Corn Festival where he volunteered and served on the board for over 50 years, where he was most recently the Vice-President of the board. He loved planning that event and getting to know and work with the board, the committee, and the vendors for many years.
In 2016 Jewel was named an Everyday Hero of Grundy County for his many years of service to the community.
He loved spending time with his family, traveling with his partner Roberta, and going to Disney World. He recently spent his 80th birthday celebrating in Disney World with his family.
Jewel is survived by his partner Roberta Bailey, his daughter Kim Smith (late Jim Smith), his daughter Pam (Jeff) Simpson, his granddaughter Brittney (Joe) Erickson, granddaughter Caitlyn Simpson, grandson Logan Simpson, His great-granddaughter, Louella Erickson. His brother David Buttry and his family, and his sister Beverly Bailey, his brother-in-law Scott Mitchell, and sister-in-law Pat (Bob) Koehen.
His extended family also included Roberta's children Erin (Jonathon) Olson, and Amy (Eric) Gillette, and his grandchildren Halie, Max, and Hannah Olson, in addition to the hundreds of grandchildren he had through Forte Arts Center. He was Grandpa Jewel to so many!
He was predeceased by his wife Joyce Buttry, his brother Randy Buttry, and his parents Jewel and Betty Buttry, and his son-in-law Jim Smith.
The family will be holding a visitation for Jewel on Wednesday, November 15, 2023, from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm at the UC Davis-Callahan Funeral Home in Morris. A celebration of Jewel's life will be held on Thursday, November 16, 2023, at 10:00 am at the funeral home, officiated by Pastor Steve Larson. Jewel will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests contributions to be made to a scholarship fund that will be established in Grandpa Jewel's name. Your generosity will help continue his legacy of servant leadership and giving access to the arts to everyone. To contribute, please note at the bottom of the check, on your envelope, or on Venmo that your contribution is for the scholarship fund.The Family wishes to extend their gratitude to the ICU unit at Morris Hospital that provided excellent care for him in his final days. An online guestbook has been made for the family, where you may sign the guestbook, share memories and photographs. You can access this by visiting the website at www.ucdaviscallahan.com. Arrangements have been entrusted with U.C. Davis-Callahan Funeral Home, 301 W. Washington Street, Morris, IL.