June 2, 1945 – October 18, 2026
Libby Butterworth
Elizabeth Ann Butterworth, known to everyone as Libby, passed away peacefully on October 18, 2026, at Bristol Hospital in Bristol, CT, surrounded by her family. She was 81 and had been living with Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia.
Libby was born on June 2, 1945, in Mineola, NY, to Joseph and Dorothy Burrows, and grew up in Manhasset, NY. She worked as a fashion model and later as fashion director for a major department store into the early 1970s, but always said her greatest accomplishment was being a mother to her five children and a grandmother to her nine grandchildren.
She raised her family in her beloved New Canaan with her husband Tom, the love of her life. She was an active member of the New Canaan Beautification League and made her home in the oldest house in New Canaan, 453 Carter Street (New Canaan Now & Then: Mansion House | NewCanaanite.com). She poured herself into its restoration and was honored with an award for her work from the New Canaan Preservation Alliance. She loved the house so much that she even developed a relationship with its resident ghost, Mabel Thatcher (Who Knew: The Spookening | NewCanaanite.com).
Libby is survived by her husband, Tom Butterworth; her children, Leigh Darr, Sean Butterworth, Adam Butterworth, Carrie Van Atten Sampson, and Kris Van Atten; her nine grandchildren; and her brother, Pete Burrows.
A service will be held at the New Canaan Presbyterian Church at 4:00 PM on Friday, November 27, 2026. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Libby’s memory to the Bristol Hospital Foundation and/or Yankee Golden Retriever Rescue.
My sincerest and deepest condolences to Tom and his family . My Libby sore with the Angels and rest peacefully.