MARGARITA FONTS BUTLER's Obituary
Margarita Fonts Butler – “Maggie” – passed away peacefully on the morning of April 2, 2014 in the presence of family. She was 64. Born in Havana, Cuba, Margarita immigrated to the United States in 1960. She graduated at the top of her high school class in Radnor, Pennsylvania in 1967, received her Bachelor’s degree from the University of Delaware in 1971, and earned Master’s degrees in Business Administration and Public Health from Columbia University in New York in 1979 and 1990, respectively. Maggie was a pioneer in the work place, shattering the glass ceiling of multi-national companies such as AT&T and Mobil, and paving the way for female executives who followed. Later in life, she dedicated her professional efforts to public health and education, working for the University of Miami Medical School and as a math teacher at Mater Academy Middle School – where 95% of her students passed the FCAT. In 1993, she moved to Key Biscayne, residing there until her death. Maggie was an avid world traveler, lover of the arts, and active participant in the Key Biscayne community, which she loved dearly. Maggie was preceded in death by her husband, James Theodore Butler. She is survived by her son Gregory; daughter-in-law Monique Duwell; in-laws James and Melodi Duwell; parents Humberto and Marta Fonts; as well as a treasured network of friends and family. Services will be held at St. Agnes Church in Key Biscayne on Saturday, April 5th, with the wake beginning at 1:30 and mass at 3:00 PM. As Maggie was an advocate for childhood education, in lieu of flowers, donations should be made to a start-up charter school run by a family friend – the Lee Montessori Public Charter School in Washington, DC (www.leemontessori.org).
What’s your fondest memory of MARGARITA?
What’s a lesson you learned from MARGARITA?
Share a story where MARGARITA's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with MARGARITA you’ll never forget.
How did MARGARITA make you smile?
