Lila Mae “Gump” Hart Buterbaugh, 91, of Greene Twp. passed away peacefully Tuesday, December 26, 2017 at the home of her Grandson. She was born March 30, 1926 to Mary Melissa “Dolly” Eans Hart and Clyde Henry Hart in Adah, PA and moved to Pleasantville, PA as a young child.

She graduated from Robert Clark High School in 1945 after taking some time off from school to work and help support her family. She then went to Bryant & Stratton Business Institute in Buffalo, NY. After receiving her Accounting Secretarial Certificate she went on to work many jobs including a time at the Titusville Hospital, Erie Manufacturing, and the PA Unemployment Compensation Service Center from which she retired after 30 years.

Lila married Elias Joseph “Joe” Buterbaugh August 27, 1955 after having met at a barn dance. They were married for 40 years until his death in 1996.

She lived a long, active life. She was an avid bowler for many years, loved gardening, and bird watching at her many feeders. She loved to play card and word games and spent countless hours doing so especially with her niece Virginia Gibson. After retirement she took up quilting and became a 30+ year member of the Hands All Around Erie Quilt Guild and the St. Boniface Quilters who make quilts to be donated to worthy causes.

She was preceded in death by her husband Joe, daughter Sally, great grandson Devon Carter, 6 brothers - David “Bud”, Marvin “Scrub”, Howard, Clyde “Pete”, infant twin boys, and a sister Wilma Shreffler.

Lila is survived by her son Scott; two daughters, Susan Hershelman and her husband Tom, Shelly Say and her husband Todd; eight grandchildren, Steven and Danny Carter, Christopher, Jason, and Julia Hershelman, Sean, Christopher, and Jillian Say; twelve great grandchildren, and 2 great-great grandchildren. Also, Melissa Prince who lived with the family while she attended high school.

Friends may call at the Russell C. Schmidt & Son Funeral Home Inc., 5000 Wattsburg Road, Erie, on Friday from 3 to 7 p.m. and are invited to attend a funeral service, officiated by Rev. Leo Gallina, on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at the funeral home followed by an interment service at Mount of Olives Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Mercy Center for Women, 1039 E 27th St, Erie, PA 16504; Emmaus Ministries, 345 E 9th St, Erie, PA 16503; or the Second Harvest Food Bank, 1507 Grimm Dr, Erie, PA 16501.

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