Obituary of Rosella Ann Butera

Rosella Ann "Babe" Butera On Saturday evening, January 27, 2018, the Butera Family lost their beloved "Babe" after a courageous battle with cancer. She was just shy of her 90th birthday. She was born April 15, 1928 in St. Cloud, MN, a daughter of the late Edwin and Lena Rapp Kind. She raised three children and provided years of care to her husband Chuck who passed away in 2003. She was always there for her family and many friends who meant the world to her. In earlier years she was employed by the former Automatic Voting Machine. She retired from the Jamestown Public School System working as a Teacher's Aide at Jefferson Middle School. She was tough, fair, and cared deeply for the students. It was her honor to be affectionately nicknamed "Rambo" by the kids she supervised. Many years later, many students would see her, hug her, and thank her for making a difference in their lives. Fiercely independent, Babe was a little woman with a big heart. She was a spitfire, fearless, possessed a great sense of humor and had an infectious laugh. She could tell if you were feeding her a story or telling her the truth by looking in your eyes and she would call you out on it. You always knew where you stood with her as she always told you exactly what was on her mind. If she loved you, you knew it, not so much in her words, but always by her actions. Often, she would refer to you not necessarily by your name but by one of the quirky nick names assigned to you. When this occurred, you were on her "good list". Babe had a special place in her heart for her dogs, Ricky and Penny. Family gatherings in her home were always filled with laughter, mountains of great food and a game of cards to top off the evening. She always took great pride in her home and her gardening. No one would be surprised, even though she was 89 years old, to find her digging holes, trimming tree branches or finding her on a ladder painting a ceiling. Babe is survived by her two daughters; Diana Butera (Ron Nordstrom) of Jamestown, NY, Debra Zahn (Tim Eddy) of Ashville, NY, three grandchildren, Crystal Butera, Heather Butera, Andy Butera (Katie), six great grandchildren, Aubry, Julio, Javon, Brianna, Jaylen, Liam, a great great grandson, Jamal, her brother and sister-in-law Eva and Leo Perino of Jamestown, her brother-in-law Louis Carlo of Jamestown, as well as many nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles J. Butera whom she married December 24, 1947 and who died June 28, 2003, her son, Gerald M. Butera who died February 5, 2016, a sister, Florence Taft and a brother, Donald Kind. The family wishes to express a special thank you Chautauqua Hospice and Palliative Care, Dr. Patrick Collins, special friends Candace Berg, Janel Blake and nephew Danny Butera for their care and concern during the past year. The family will be planning a celebration of life service at a later date and time to be announced by the Lind Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Babe's name to the Chautauqua County Humane Society, 2825 Strunk Rd. Jamestown, NY 14701.