Obituary of Eugenia Butavicius

Eugenia Zokas Butavicius was born in the small village ofEndrikiai in rural Lithuania on April 6, 1920 and baptized at the Slavikų Šv. Onos Catholic church. She was born into a large family and spoke often about her love for her father (Jonas),mother (Ona Valaitis), two brothers (Gedeminas and Victor) and five sisters (Onute, Matilda, Janina, Zofia, and Martinele). 

At about age 18 she left her village to attend dental school in the capitol city of Vilnius. The brutal advancement of Soviet occupancy interrupted her studies and she fled to Germany where she met and fell in love with a handsome Lithuanian also fleeing WWII, her husband Adam. There they had one beautiful girl, Irena. 

They immigrated to Sao Paulo, Brazil where Adam’s family had immigrated earlier with the promise of work. With family and friends, they tried to make a life there in tumultuous times but found the working conditions very difficult and decided to relocate to Windsor, Canada in 1953. 

Eugenia enjoyed living in Windsor and built strong ties within her community. She was the president of the Windsor branch of the Canadian-Lithuanian Federation (now Kanados LietuviųBendruomenė) and in 1962, she co-chaired the Windsor Convention, attended by over 1,500 Lithuanians from across Canada and the United States.  

Eugenia immigrated with her family to Detroit, MI in 1962. She worked as a caregiver in a nursing home in Gross Point and later she and her husband owned the Fairlane Bar on Eight Mile Rd. in Detroit.  She was active in St. Anthony’s Lithuanian church, an alto in the choir, and supported the churches many cultural actives. 

Eugenia retired to Lake Runyan, Fenton MI with her husbandand several close Lithuanian friends. She enjoyed fishing, boating and lively parties and picnics full of Lithuanian singing and dancing (and some toasting) with her friends and family. 

In 2009, she moved with her daughter to Mecosta, MI and in her last years she was well cared for and loved by the staff of North Woods Nursing Center in Farwell, MI. 

She spoke four languages (Lithuanian, German, Portuguese and English) and stayed in contact with her brothers, sisters, and many nieces and nephews through letter writing and visits to the mother country. She was a strong and resilient woman, determined to live her life to her fullest with deep love and affection for her family.

She is survived, and remembered with deep love, by her daughter (Irena Butavicius Wrona) and Son-in-law (Mark Wrona), three grandchildren Paul (Sommer) Wrona,  Amanda (Andy) Wrona Meadows, Daniel (Rebecca) Wrona, three great grandchildren (Melissa, Jackson, and Adam) one sister (Janina) and many, many nieces, nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.

Ilsėkis ramybėje (rest in peace) Eugenia.