VASSALBORO – James F. Butler III M.D., 89, passed away peacefully at his home in Vassalboro on Sunday, Jan. 30, 2022.

He was born on Sept. 12, 1932, at St. Barnabas Hospital in Portland to James and Hazel Butler, grew up in Augusta and was a devoted brother to siblings Kay, Alyson, and Bruce.

A proud Navy pilot in the 1950s, Jim continued on to work for Folsom’s Air Service in Greenville as a bush pilot. After graduating from medical school at the University of Vermont in 1965, he completed a residency in family medicine at Maine Medical Center in Portland, and then served in the Grenfell Mission in Newfoundland and Labrador, providing medical care to remote and indigenous communities.

He went on to specialize in orthopedic surgery and opened a practice in Waterville. Following 21 years in private practice, Jim “retired” in 1995 and immediately went to work full time at the Veterans Administration hospital at Togus. He retired again 17 years later, at the age of 81.

Jim had a quick wit, a tenacious spirit, and a mischievous, fun-loving nature. He was kind, thoughtful and genuinely interested in the people he met and the places he explored.

He will be missed by the countless friends, colleagues, and neighbors he knew and treasured through the years. Jim enjoyed Maine to the full, from the mountains to the coast, sailing, skiing, hunting, camping, and fishing.

He is fondly remembered and very deeply loved by his wife and partner of 55 years, Sally; their four children, Bill, Kate, Jess and Ian and their respective partners; and his five grandchildren, Marly, Hazel, Jay, Hugh, and Ozzy.

A celebration of Jim’s life will be planned for later in 2022.

Arrangements are in the care of Knowlton and Hewins Funeral Home and Cremation Care, One Church St., Augusta, where memories, condolences and photos may be shared with the family on the obituary page of our website at http://www.familyfirstfh.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Maine Coast Heritage Trust at https://give.mcht.org/memorial-gift-donation or the Kennebec Valley Humane Society at https://pethavenlane.org/memorial-gifts/

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