Butterfield family convenes in Libby for memorable reunion

Over 80 members of the Butterfield family gathered in Libby recently for a family reunion.  

Sharon Butterfield Jacobson (88) of Libby is the last of the original nine children of Dwight and Gladys Butterfield who eloped in 1920, much to Dwight’s family’s dismay.

Gladys Mansfield had spent her youth traveling with her parents as part of a circus act, even performing with William Cody’s Wild West Show. At age 16, she was working in a local theater where she and her sister played two little orphan girls and where she met Dwight, age 18.

In 1920, a girl working in show business was assumed to be “bad news.” When the teens eloped, Dwight’s mother and grandmother were so distraught, they had to go to bed for the day.

Despite the family’s misgivings, the couple was married for over 65 years when Gladys passed away in November of 1985. Dwight followed her to their heavenly home in February of 1986.

A century after they married, their family is still going strong. Dwight and Gladys’s nine children produced 54 grandchildren, give or take a couple, who then produced hundreds of great-grandchildren who are still working on great-great-grandchildren. 

Two great-great-great-grandchildren attended this weekend’s reunion (Sharon’s great-greats) and two more are expected in the next six months or so.

Cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas and grandpas were among the five generations represented at this weekend’s one-day event. 

Dwight and Gladys raised their family in Washington state, but relatives traveled to Montana from Alaska, Oregon, California, Idaho, Missouri, Ohio and Georgia as well as Washington.

All of Sharon’s six children (Joanna Tempel, Rebekah Schertel, Tim “Jake” Jacobson, Sarah Barrick, Mark Jacobson and MaryFaith Hayashi) and their spouses were present, along with several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren. 

Sharon reminded her family of their heritage and expressed her desire to see all of them again at the final reunion in heaven, encouraging them to make their reservations now by putting Jesus at the center of their lives.

Sharon is a long-time Libby resident. She and her late husband, Pastor J.E. Jacobson, moved to Libby in 1973 with their six children. 

They pastored at the Libby Assembly of God for 22 years before semi-retiring in 1995. Three of their six children still live in Libby.