Lewis Butler

Lewis Eklund Butler was born in a "place above clay land" – Tlaquepaque, Mexico – to Maggie and Frank Butler in October of 1967. Joined by an older brother and sister, Lewis spent his early years in a rambling historic home befitting an Allende novel. Today, the town is known as a “Pueblo Mágico,” as it so richly retains its original architecture, music and the arts that include pottery, blown glass, and bronze sculptures. His parents would divorce and a few years later his father, mother, and siblings relocated to Colorado where he (mostly) lived his life.

Our dear Lewis found love early and perfectly. In junior high he met Kris in an English class. Their rhythm of twoness would start in the fall of 1982. Reminiscent of a secular Vonnegutian duprass, their relationship would persist through time and space, as Lewis moved between schools and living arrangements. After a year at the University of California in Santa Cruz, he realized he could perfectly educate himself with his own reading (and later podcasts). Committed to basking in the sunshine of their love, they’d entangle Eklund with Butler (and vice-versa) at their wedding in 1992 and later brought two children into the world – first Amber, then May. Lewis was a stay-at-home dad for many years. When not juggling various science experiments (where are the Mentos and Diet Coke?), he ran a business that offered technology consulting and web hosting and design.

Lewis laughed as hard as he loved and mostly sported a snarky or themed T-shirt. Never one to appreciate any small-minded or self-serving stab at someone else’s expense, you had to deliver an intelligent zinger to make him guffaw. He reveled in the absurdity of this world while also carrying a healthy dose of outrage in the deep pockets of his denim shorts. He was an admitted fanboy of all things Apple and The Beatles. He loved rich storytelling and didn’t see the need to have to choose Star Wars over Star Trek. Why not both and add in the Marvel and Disney universes and British television program(me)s! Lewis delighted in a good evening of board games, Dungeons & Dragons, or an online gaming session.

He enjoyed seeing the world, whether gaping at Yellowstone bison or experiencing history up close in Europe.  On long road trips, he'd be sure to have a Discworld audio file on hand to listen to as a family. To paraphrase the great Terry Pratchett: Go away so you can come back. So that you can see the place you came from with new eyes and extra colors. And the people there see you differently, too. Coming back to where you started is not the same as never leaving.

Most will recall Lewis for his beautifully outsized heart, generosity, humor, loud voice and as being someone who unapologetically spoke his mind. He could be argumentative if you were being lazy in your language or thinking. Wholly informed by the societal issues at hand, he demanded we unequivocally recognize LGBTQIA rights, the awesomeness of science, and the immediacy of the threats to our personal freedoms. Simply put, he felt we should all be better monkeys in the light.

He is preceded in death by his father and stepmother Frank and Kendal Butler and his in-laws John and Dorothy Eklund. He is survived by his wife Kristine (Kris) Eklund and children Amber and May, his mother Maggie (Gordon) Butler, his sister Beatrice Butler, his brother and sister-in-law Benjamin and Holly Butler and family, his stepsister and her husband Kendal and John Lukrich and family, brother-in-law and his wife Theodore and Susan Eklund, aunts, uncles, and many cousins. And two silly labradoodles Oswin and Hound Solo.

In lieu of flowers the family asks that you make a donation in his name to some causes that champion the issues he cared about (see below). And when you’re missing him, remember: read more and widely, tell your stories with increasing detail and intensity, and grab a plate of hot spicy food (preferably at the Blue Bonnet Restaurant in Denver, CO).

Some organizations that support the many, many causes that Lewis intensely cared about:

LGBTQIA RIGHTS

The Trevor Project

Mission: “The Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning (LGBTQ) young people.”

https://www.thetrevorproject.org/

Donation link: https://give.thetrevorproject.org/give/63307/?_ga=2.215893205.350831332.1660739975-1205716793.1660739975#!/donation/checkout

National Center for Transgender Equality

Mission: “The National Center for Transgender Equality advocates to change policies and society to increase understanding and acceptance of transgender people. In the nation’s capital and throughout the country, NCTE works to replace disrespect, discrimination, and violence with empathy, opportunity, and justice.”

https://transequality.org/

Donation link: https://secure.transequality.org/site/Donation2;jsessionid=00000000.app20071a?df_id=1480&mfc_pref=T&1480.donation=form1&NONCE_TOKEN=35D2A4A7147D9025FCD897A4A42AE061

TECHNOLOGY

Center for Humane Technology

Mission: “We reframe the insidious effects of persuasive technology, expose the runaway systems beneath, and deepen the capacity of global decision-makers and everyday leaders to take wise action.”

https://www.humanetech.com/

Donation link: https://www.humanetech.com/who-we-are#donate

DEMOCRACY

Center for Democracy and Technology

Mission: “CDT works to promote democratic values by shaping technology policy and architecture, with a focus on the rights of the individual.”

https://cdt.org/

Donation link: https://cdt.org/donate/

ABORTION CARE

The Brigid Alliance

Mission: “We get people to abortion care, whatever it takes.”

https://brigidalliance.org/

Donation link: https://brigidalliance.org/donate/

SCIENCE

The Alan Alda Center for Communicating Science

Mission: “Build Trust to Share the Wonders of Science. We need science more than ever.”

https://aldacenter.org/

Donation link: https://aldacenter.org/giving/ways_to_give.php

THE PLANET

Cool Effect

Mission: “Our Mission is to Reduce Carbon Emissions. Combining science, expertise, and transparency, we are creating a community built around one simple vision: give people the power and confidence to band together and reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change.”

https://www.cooleffect.org/

Donation link: https://www.cooleffect.org/donate