Kenneth Butka was a whiz in the classroom, first at South Park High School, where he was an honor student, and then as a teacher at Amherst Central High School, where he helped hundreds of students conquer math.
He was equally successful on the tennis court. He won the Town of Amherst singles title in 1980 and coached Amherst High School girls’ tennis teams to nine division titles. He became one of the few coaches to be inducted into the Amherst Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mr. Butka died Sept. 22 in Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital, Amherst, after a struggle with Parkinson’s dimentia. He was 73.
Born in Buffalo, he was the youngest of three children of William and Erma Hunyadi Butka. His father was a member of the steamfitters union.
He was president of his eighth grade class at School 72 and National Honor Society president at South Park High School, where he graduated in 1968. He was senior class treasurer, a member of South Park’s School Forum panel on WBEN radio and a delegate to the American Legion’s annual Boys’ State summer leadership program.
A varsity tennis player, he also competed in summer municipal tennis tournaments, where he met Susan Anderson.
“He had the best backhand,” she said. They were married July 21, 1973, in Holy Family Catholic Church.
Mr. Butka earned a bachelor’s degree in education from Buffalo State College and later completed a master’s degree.
He began teaching math at Amherst Junior High School in 1973 and went on to become one of the Amherst Central School District’s longest-tenured teachers.
At the junior high school, he developed a remedial course, Curriculum for Academic Reinforcement, for students who had trouble learning math. A version of the course, called Math Courses with Support, continues to be offered at the high school.
In 1981, he was honored as PTA Teacher of the Year at the junior high school and received the school’s Outstanding Teacher Award in 1983 from the PTA.
Mr. Butka started teaching at the high school in 1984, when ninth grade was moved to that school, and was chairman of the Mathematics Department from 1992 until he retired in 2014.
He was named the New York State Lottery Educator of the Week in 2002 and received the Excellence in Teaching Award from the Western New York Educational Service Council. The Amherst School Board presented him with a plaque for 42 years of service prior to his retirement.
From 1975 to 2007, he was a coach for boys’ and girls’ high school and junior high teams, beginning with the girls’ ninth grade cheerleading team.
He coached high school girls’ varsity tennis from 1977 to 1985 and sent teams to the state championships in eight of the nine years. Their overall record was 116-2, and at one point they had a winning streak of 81 matches. He was named Super 7 Coach of the Year for tennis in 1985.
He also coached ninth grade boys’ basketball for 22 years, junior varsity boys’ basketball for five years and high school girls’ basketball during the two years his daughter Kristin was on the team. He received the Erie County Interscholastic Conference Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008.
“I like working with kids,” he told the Amherst Bee when he retired in 2014. “Things don’t always have to be perfect in the world, but if you get into your classroom and you’re with kids and you like them, there is nothing like it.”
After retiring, Mr. Butka continued to help at varsity boys’ basketball practice and served as scorekeeper. He also regularly assisted his daughter, who is a teacher and lacrosse and soccer coach in the Honeoye Falls-Lima schools. He additionally enjoyed bicycling, walking, yardwork and traveling.
Survivors include his wife, the former Susan Anderson, whom he married July 21, 1973; his daughter, Kristin; a brother, William; and a niece, Lisa Waczkowski. Family and friends are invited to A Celebration of Life at the Fairdale Restaurant, 672 Wehrle Drive, Williamsville on Friday, November 1 from 6 to 9 p.m. A Mass of Christian Burial will be offered on Saturday, November 2 at 9:30 a.m. at Christ the King Church, 30 Lamarck Drive in Snyder. Online condolences may be placed at www.TheDietrichFuneralHome.com.
Dear Bill
Sorry to hear about your brother’s passing. Our daughter, Megan, was a former student/alumna at Amherst High. Your brother was the math teacher when she was there. She told me this morning that Mr. Butka always wore green pants on Thursdays. Remembering we had sung together at “the Buffalo Opera Company” ha ha what a great time we had… she advised me about his death. I finally tracked down your former work address and called them to see if they could pass on a message to you but it has been a while since you retired. I finally thought of contacting the funeral home which will be handling the services and found I could contact you indirectly. Hope you receive this message. It’s been a long time since we’ve talked. I’ve been a lot of miles. Worked two years in China building a manufacturing facility, a few months in Iraq near Bagdad, Falujah and Ramadi. The confluence of the Tigris and Euphrates rivers formerly known as The Garden of Eden” and more recently as “the Triangle of Death”. Am now retired but still singing. Also started teaching math as an interventionist. Go figure…. ha ha. Thats a ripe one! Our phone number is: 786 – 973 – 8052. Its a Miami exchange but we live in Michigan.
Not sure if we can make it to the services so I at least wanted to contact you in writing. Our address is:
11800 N. Meridian Rd. Pleasant Lake, Michigan 48272 Phone is 786 973 8052
So sorry for your loss.
Mr. Butka was a unique, no-nonsense educator who opened up the world of algebra and math to his students. Leveraging humor, he was committed to helping students learn and resolve complex math problems. Mr. Butka met with parents on parent-teacher nights. When I was experiencing difficulty, he met my father [who was also an educator at Burgard Vocational Technical School], Mr. Butka said to my father, “Pam can do this!” His positive reinforcement made a difference in the success of students. Outside the classroom, Mr. Butka was a sports enthusiast. He supported the Amherst Junior Varsity basketball team, and led the JV cheerleaders as JV cheerleading coach. He managed our cheerleading squad practices, ensuring we were well-prepared to support our basketball stars. God Bless Mr. Butka. Rest in Peace.
“The darker the night, the brighter the stars; the deeper the grief, the closer is God!” – Fyodor Dostoevsky
My sincere condolences to the Butka family. I had Mr. Butka for summer school in 1984 and thought he was remarkable. He was by far the best math instructor I’ve ever had. I also remember him fondly because he noticed I was struggling to see the board and asked me if I needed glasses (I sure did). I’m thankful that he cared enough to ask. Rest in peace, Mr. Butka.
Dear Butka family, I’d like to send you all my deepest condolences on the tremendous loss of beloved Mr. Butka. I had the pleasure of being one of his students ( Amherst Alumni c/o ’03); there was never a dull moment in Math class; he kept us all laughing with his funny phrases: “Uh oh, there’s a fly in the ointment!” We loved him! Mr. Butka was also my basketball coach, Kristin and I were side by side on the court as teammates; Great times! I’ll always treasure the memory of Mr. Butka, he’ll be sorely missed. My prayers are with you all, God Bless.