Grant Myers Buttermore

Grant M. Buttermore Sr. Estate Planning Attorney in Westfield Grant Myers Buttermore Sr., 87, longtime attorney and resident of Westfield, died Thursday October 13, 2011, in the Center for Hope Hospice Scotch Plains. Arrangements by Gray Funeral Home, Westfield, (www.grayfuneralhomes.com to offer condolences). The Service of Remembrance will begin at 11 am, Thursday, October 20, 2011, in the First United Methodist Church, 1 East Broad Street, Westfield. A reception will follow in the fellowship room of the church. Interment will be private. Born on January 9, 1924 in Connellsville, PA to Lyell Loomis and Rebecca Myers Buttermore, Grant was the youngest of three children, including Elizabeth Spray, and Lyell L. Buttermore Jr. Grant was named for his grandfather, the late U.S. Grant Myers. He was a graduate of Oberlin College, Ohio, and the Rutgers University College of Law, Newark, where he received a Doctor of Jurisprudence. He took three years of correspondence courses in Psychology, which interested him, during his military service in Europe . He met the love of his life, Esther Gwendolyn Freeman as fellow freshmen in Oberlin College. They were both 17 year olds, and had their first date on October 4, 1941. Grant was drafted into the US Army in the summer of 1943 and sent to London, England on Christmas Day, following basic training. He served in various cities in England and Wales as a staff sergeant, and head of a Transportation Corps. unit. His unit was sent to France the day after the D-day Invasion, but his records were lost in the crossing of the English Channel, and Grant was left behind, while his unit was sent to the Pacific. He returned to the US from Marburg, Germany in late April 1946. He and Gwen became engaged and were married on June 28, 1946. Gwen had graduated from Oberlin in 1945 and she taught music in the public school system in Garfield, NJ, and later was Music Supervisor in the Verona, NJ Schools. After completing his studies and passing the NJ Bar Exam, Grant worked in the Freeman and Freeman Law Offices of Gwen's father, Forster W. Freeman Jr. and grandfather Forster W. Freeman Sr., later a Judge, in Paterson, NJ. While serving briefly in a law firm in Westwood, NJ, he was urged by his good friend and colleague, Cuddie Davidson Jr., to join him and Cuddie's father, Cuddie Davidson Sr., in their law practice in Westfield. The firm is known today as Buttermore, Newman, Delanney & Foltz, LLP. Grant retired from the firm in January of 2011. A member of the Union County, New Jersey State, and the American Bar Associations, he was a fellow in The American College of Trusts and Estates Council. In 1981 he was elected a Fellow in the American College of Probate Council, and served as a past president and chairman of the Westfield Joint Civics Committee. He was the Campaign Chairman of the Westfield College Men's Club, where served as a past president and a member of the board of directors. He was also a past president of the United Fund, and chaired the drive in 1965. As a Rotarian and Paul Harris Fellow, he was past secretary of the Paterson club, past president of the Westwood club, and past president of the Westfield Rotary Club. Grant taught Wills and Estate Planning at Union County College, and the Westfield Adult School. He was active in the former Grant School Talent Show from 1959 through the late 1960s. Active in Scouting in Westfield with his sons, he taught scouts the requirements for the Civics Merit badge. Grant was active in several capacities in the First United Methodist in Westfield, including the Board of Trustees, and the legal council. He also served in the Methodist Church in Summit, where he was a delegate to the Raritan District Church Union, and served on the parish relations committee. He is survived by his wife of 65 years Gwendolyn, and four children: Son, Grant Buttermore Jr., and his wife Donna, and their daughters; Dr. Nicole, and Kristen. Daughter: Gwyneth McNabola and husband Daniel, and their daughter Adrienne, Son: Gregg Freeman Buttermore, and his wife Sheila, and their children Chelsea and Lyell, and Son: Glenn Hopper Buttermore and his wife, Christina, and their daughters, Linnea and Kara. Memorial contributions in lieu of flowers may be made to: the Center For Hope Hospice, 1900 Raritan Rd., Scotch Plains, NJ 07076.