A private graveside service for Judge James Newby Butterworth, 77, of Cornelia will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday, April 2, in Yonah Memorial Gardens in Demorest, for immediate family only. The service will be live streamed. A memorial service may be planned for a later date.
Judge Butterworth passed away March 28, 2020.
Born Feb. 3, 1943 in Marietta, he was the son of the late Jackson Evans Butterworth and Gertrude Newby Butterworth.
He was educated in the Gainesville City Schools, graduated from Gainesville High School, received his bachelor's degree from North Georgia College and his Juris Doctor from Walter F. George School of Law, Mercer University. Following his admission to the Bar, Judge Butterworth began his practice of law in Macon, in partnership with the firm Melton, McKenna and House. In Macon, he served as president of the Macon-Bibb County Cerebral Palsy Foundation, as Scout Master of the Macon Boy Scout Legal Explorer Post and as an officer of the Macon-Bibb County Optimist Club.
Judge Butterworth moved his law practice to Cornelia, in 1974 and continued to practice law until beginning his full-time service as Chief Magistrate Judge in 1998. He retired in July 2014. He served from 1985-1996 as Judge of the State Court of Habersham County, during which time he was elected president of the Council of State Court Judges of the State of Georgia. Beginning in 2003, Judge Butterworth was certified as a Registered Neutral by the Office of Dispute Resolution. Until his death, he very much enjoyed his role as a mediator, and had a true gift for helping others think deeply and critically to solve issues. In Habersham County, Judge Butterworth previously served as president of the Chamber of Commerce, Packmaster and Scoutmaster of Cornelia scout troops, president and co-founder of S.A.V.I.N.G. Habersham, founder of Dark Sky North Georgia, advisory committee member of the Criminal Justice Program of North Georgia Technical College, adjunct professor at North Georgia College, Truett McConnell College and Gainesville College. He served as the president of the Chattahoochee Mountain Fair Association from 1978-1998. He was a former member of the Cornelia Rotary Club and a former member of the Board of Directors at the Jim Walters Family YMCA. In 2014, Judge Butterworth was the recipient of the Boy Scouts of America Distinguished Citizen Award and served on the Executive Board for the Northeast Georgia Council, Boy Scouts of America in 2015-16.
In keeping with his love of his southern roots and ancestors, he was a proud charter member of the Lyman Hall Chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, the Habersham Guard, Camp 716, of the Sons of Confederate Veterans, a member of the Huguenot Society of South Carolina, a member of the Clan McIntosh and a member of the First Families of Georgia.
Judge Butterworth is survived by his loving wife, Rhonda; his son, James Blakely Butterworth (Amy) of Demorest; his daughter, Boen Butterworth Nutting (Mike) of Mooresville, North Carolina; his stepson, Neil Davis (Kristin) of Demorest; and his six grandchildren, Blake, Michael, Claire, Sam, Jack and Cate. He is also survived by his brother, Dr. Jack Butterworth (Nancy) of Bristol, Tennessee; and by countless cousins on both the Butterworth and Newby sides of the family.
In keeping with Judge Butterworth's love of the historical south, the family requests that donations be made to the Demorest Woman's Club Building Restoration Fund in lieu of flowers. The building that houses the Demorest Woman's Club was built in 1902. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2008. Donations in honor of Judge Butterworth will aid in that project. Donations can be mailed to Treasurer, Demorest Woman's Club, P.O. Box 231, Demorest, GA 30535.
Memorial Park Funeral Home, North Riverside Chapel, is in charge of arrangements. Send online condolences to memorialparkfuneralhomes.com.