ITHACA, N.Y. – It is with deep sadness that Ithaca College shares the news that Lois Butterfield, widow of legendary football coach Jim Butterfield, passed away peacefully on Saturday, April 1, at the age of 91.

"There is a seat in the bleachers near the press box in Butterfield Stadium. It is marked 'The Big L Sits Here.' For the 27 years that Jim Butterfield was the head coach of Ithaca College, his wife Lois sat in that seat watching the Bombers," said former Ithaca football coach Mike Welch '73, who served as an assistant under Butterfield and succeeded him as head coach.

Born July 30, 1932, in Wellesley, Massachusetts, Lois was the youngest of four children to John and Dorothy Day. At the age of 10, Lois and her family moved to North Falmouth, on Cape Cod, where she would spend her formative years. Lois was passionate about sports, especially baseball, and played competitively with many of the boys she grew up with. She fondly told the story to her grandchildren about the day she pitched a no hitter at the local baseball diamond. Another great passion was music, particularly jazz. She learned to play the drums and became skilled enough to play with her brother John, a pianist, at various events in and around the Falmouth area.

After high school, Lois graduated from Bridgewater State Teachers College with a degree in physical education and history and was hired at Arms Academy in Shelburne Falls as a teacher and coach. It was there that she fell in love with fellow teacher and football coach Philip J. Butterfield.

They married, and moved to the University of Maine where Jim launched his collegiate coaching career. Between Maine and Colgate University in Hamilton, New York, the couple welcomed three children, Terry, Kristen, and Gail. In 1967, Jim was named head football coach at Ithaca College where he would become a fixture for 27 years. The consummate coach's wife, Lois was a passionate football fan, never missing a game and most weekdays, driving up to the college practice field to attend the last hour of practice.

"She knew the technical aspect of the game like a coach," stated Welch. "She also knew what impact playing for her husband would have on a young man's life. She knew it would require a 'Commitment to Excellence,' doing everything the right way, with class and integrity."

She made it her duty to get to know all the players on the team, no easy task. After every home game, she greeted each player as they left the locker room facilities. At the end of Jim's career, the stadium was renamed for him and a seat in the bleachers was painted for Lois with the inscription, "The Big L Sits Here."

"After every home game she would have a post-game gathering for friends, staff and colleagues," Welch continued. "She only had one request, 'If you come here when we win, then you BETTER come when we lose.'"

Lois became very involved in the fabric of the Ithaca community. She helped start a program named Interim Families, which helped children find temporary living arrangements with volunteer families during difficult times. The program received an award from the state of New York. In later years, Lois worked for Family and Children's Services of Tompkins County where her contributions were highly valued.

"Lois was so special to all of us involved with the IC football family," said former athletic trainer Kent Scriber '72. "I fondly remember her near daily visits to the practice field where she was checking on not only the teams' game preparation, but also how all the injured players were progressing. She cared."

At Ithaca College, Lois discovered a thriving jazz program in the School of Music and befriended its director, Steve Brown. She never missed a concert when the IC Jazz Lab was playing. In her final concert, she was honored by Steve with a plaque noting her dedication to all things jazz at Ithaca College.

In 2002, Lois's beloved Jim passed away from Alzheimer's disease. To honor his memory, she wrote a book about him and named it "Wasn't That Fun", a fitting tribute to a great man and husband.

Ultimately, Lois moved back to her childhood home on Cape Cod, leaving behind the many friends and associations made in Ithaca. Upon her return to her roots, she discovered and threw herself into a thriving jazz scene and developed many lifelong friendships with numerous musicians and jazz lovers, especially in her favorite haunt, The Chart Room.

When family gathered on the Cape during the summer, there would be several required pilgrimages to this seasonal restaurant to hear the skilled musicians. Lois always took a seat at the piano bar, where she could keep an eye on her favorite piano player, John Harrison ("he's world class", she would say) and appreciate his every note. Between tunes, he would often look over at her and ask her opinion on the next selection.

Lois will be remembered fondly for her love of and dogged loyalty to her family and friends along with her many passions and blessings which defined her life.

Lois loved and adored the many medical professionals who helped her with the challenges she faced over the past several years. They include Hematology Oncology Specialists of Cape Cod, Falmouth Hospital Infusion Services, and Dr. Nathan Connell of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston.

Lois is survived by her sister, Dorothy Ellis and her three children, son Terry Butterfield and daughters Kristen Lemay (Peter D. Lemay) and Gail Butterfield as well as her grandchildren Andrea Butterfield, Hannah Butterfield, Thomas Lemay, Savanna Butterfield, Alison Lemay and Sarah Butterfield.

"I first met Terry Butterfield when he was the batboy for our 1970 IC baseball team," Scriber said. "He even traveled with us to the NCAA Regionals in Virginia that year. Years later, I had Kris as a student in one of my classes. Just a great family and Lois was certainly the rock."

"Everyone knows how integral Lois Butterfield was to Bomber Football during Coach Butterfield's tenure as the head football coach," said Susan Bassett '79, associate vice president and director of intercollegiate athletics and campus recreation. "Alumni speak of their interactions with her with reverence and gratitude. During my time as director of athletics, I was fortunate to have several interactions with Lois, including at the 2014 Hall of Fame ceremony when the 1979 Championship Team was recognized, at the Butterfield Golf Outing when she added Mike Welch's name to the event and in many email exchanges. When I had the occasion to speak with her on the phone, it was clear that she followed the football team and the college with interest."

"As a young head coach at Ithaca, I had many challenges early in my career," Welch recalled. "On a ride home from New Jersey where Coach Butterfield received another one of his many awards, Lois could sense that stress of being a head coach was affecting me physically and mentally. 'Michael, you cannot let this game get to you. You have to learn to let it go and learn how to relax,' she advised me. She recommended the book 'The Relaxation Response' by Herbert Benson, MD. I still have the copy she gave me, and I will thank her forever for her words of wisdom. I will miss her sense of humor, her love of family and her wisdom about the game of football and life. God Bless you Lois."

A celebration of her life will be held at a later date. More information and a Tribute Wall can be found here.