WORCESTER-Albina “Al” Rose (Emco) Butler, 90, died peacefully in her sleep Wednesday morning at her home. She owned the Ark Furniture Company on Millbury Street for over thirty years, closing it in 1969. In 1970, she created the Worcester House of Favors which she ran until late 2000. In that time, she crafted wedding favors, invitations, candles and floral decorations for four generations of brides. She also created thousands of ceramics, both decorative and utilitarian.
Mrs. Butler was the widow of Edward Benedict Butler to whom she was married for 47 years. She leaves her daughter, Bernadette B. Reilley-Petralias; her son, LTC Joseph E. Butler, USAF Ret.; 5 grandchildren, Steven, Christopher and Joseph Reilley and Michelle and Jennifer Butler;3 great grandchildren, Amanda Dorion, Veronica and Erica Reilley.
She was born in Worcester November 8, 1912, delivered at home by a midwife. She was the fifth of 10 children born to Lithuanian parents who emigrated to Worcester in order to escape the military advance of Czarist Russia. She began working at the age of nine, doing chores for a rabbi’s wife earning $1.50 a week and from that point, worked for the next eighty years. Mrs. Butler was recently featured in an article by Telegram & Gazette writer Diane Williamson. Having lived through the Depression, two World Wars, several lesser ones, Worcester’s tornado, the Influenza epidemic of 1918 and the march of progress from gas lamps to e-mail. She was a treasure trove of stories, recipes and history and embodied the essence of a twentieth century woman.
The funeral will be Saturday, September 27th from O’CONNOR BROTHERS FUNERAL HOME, 592 Park Avenue with a Mass at 10:00 AM in Our Lady of the Angels Church, 1222 Main Street. Burial will be in Notre Dame Cemetery. Calling hours are Friday, September 26th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM and 7:00 to 9:00 PM in the funeral home. Flowers may be sent or contributions may be made to St. Jude Children Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-2813.