Michael Frank Butkus

1946 - 2026

I, Michael Frank Butkus, reached my expiration date on March 7, 2026. I expired due to running out of life with complications from matters of the heart and fair wear and tear.

I was born on May 26, 1946, to Anton and Freda Margaret Critchley Butkus in Salt Lake City, Utah, and was raised there, except for a brief stint on a farm in Genola, Utah.

After graduating from Skyline High School, I took advantage of a scholarship to attend Utah State University, where I majored in zoology. I graduated in 1968 with hopes of going on to graduate school and eventually becoming a lab technician.

However, the United States Army had other plans for me. I enlisted in the Army and, after attending Engineering Officer's Candidate School, was commissioned as a Combat Engineer Officer before receiving further training as a Foreign Area Studies Specialist in Military Intelligence. Off I went to Germany where, just before shipping out to Vietnam, I received a medical discharge in 1971 with a service-connected 30% disability for my eyes, thanks to explosions from my combat engineering training.

I went back to school at Utah State University where I discovered the Recreation Resources Management Program as part of the College of Natural Resources. I officially entered graduate school there in the Spring of 1974 and graduated with a Master of Science degree in Recreation Resources Management in 1976. So began my professional career.

Over the next 36 years, I worked as a research associate for the USDA Forest Service and as an Outdoor Recreation Planner for the Bureau of Land Management; was a partner in an outdoor recreation, tourism, and environmental consulting firm; worked as the Director of Physical and Economic Development for the Bear River Association of Governments; became the Outdoor Recreation Program Manager (civilian) for the US Army Military Communities in Germany and Italy; and, finally, back at Utah State University, served as a program administrator, senior lecturer, and academic advisor in the College of Natural Resources. I retired from my professional life in 2012.

Back in the States after spending three years abroad in Germany and another seven living in Italy, I met the wonderful Jan Roush in 1995. We bought a house and moved in together in 2000 before being married by the mayor of Assisi, Italy, in 2005.

I am survived by Jan and my awesome adopted family: son Andrew Ugan (Tania Brenes) and daughter Christina Hatch (Jared); four grandchildren: Joshua Hatch (Brittany), Zachary Hatch (Angela), Branson Hatch (Halee), and Alex Ugan; and four great-grandchildren: Zoey, Zachary, Hank, and Alice, with a fifth on the way. I am also survived by my brother Tim Butkus (Nancy Morgan); nephew Grant Butkus (Molly) and their children, Auden and June; niece Faye Butkus Kraft (Justin) and their children, Eloise and Quinn; and my cousin Suzy Berglund (David). I am preceded in death by my parents, my beloved Aunt Fran, and my sister Barbara.

Overall, I have had such a good life. I have loved and been loved and, if I have done my part right, you know who you are. I like to think I have never knowingly hurt anyone and I would like to be remembered as an interesting person, but, more than anything, I am proud of the fact that I have always tried to do the right thing, no matter the consequences.

In lieu of a funeral, at a later date my family will host a party to celebrate my life- what I would call "a Lithuanian take on an Irish wake."

Memories and condolences may be shared and expressed at www.allenmortuaries.com.