His son Tim Butcher died on October 14, 2012, having been the inspiration for many Precious Moments pieces. Butcher left for the Philippines for an extended period. Sam broke down, and stopped." īutcher's children urged their father to take better care of himself and took over all business responsibilities at PMI. Finally, his body and mind could take it no more. According to Chapel employees who watched Butcher, "it was as though he was possessed by depression and anger. He worked on paintings in what is now called Phillip's Room at the Chapel. īutcher dealt with his grief by returning to art. Butcher was filled with grief and could not pursue his interests in art. While Butcher was in the Philippines, his 27-year-old son Phillip was killed. His children brought him back to the States, where he was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated. At the height of his popularity, Butcher fell ill due to strokes brought on by self-medicating. Charles, Illinois, and lived with his children.Īs Precious Moments became more successful, Butcher began to spend more time at his resort in the Philippines. Through this resort, Butcher provides employment and training opportunities for people from Aklan and students from other provinces in Western Visayas. He privately funded the purchase of land on an island in Aklan and built a resort called Sampaguita Gardens. The Chapel and several other museums are on the property, along with a wedding chapel and reception area. In 1989, he completed the construction of the Precious Moments Chapel on the south side of Carthage, Missouri. Butcher Foundation and Precious Moments, Inc. The doll business would be relaunched as Precious Moments Country Dolls in 1989 and renamed Precious Moments Company Dolls in 1992. J&D suspended its greeting card business, passed its porcelain products to Enesco, and stopped producing vinyl dolls. Some time thereafter, Butcher and Biel ended their business relationship. In 1981 Butcher and Biel traveled to the Philippines, where they gave financial assistance to a Bible college. J&D sourced its vinyl dolls in Asia, leading Butcher to the Philippines. The three major products carried by J&D were greeting cards, porcelain figurines, and vinyl dolls. Prior to 1978, Sam met Eugene Freedman at a Christian trade show in Los Angeles, California. These works can be observed at the Precious Moments Chapel in Carthage, Missouri. Before that, Butcher created many other works, from kitsch oil paintings to comic strips. In 1974, Butcher created Precious Moments drawings for J&D, which were introduced to the market a year later. During his ten-year career with the CEF, Butcher's work was seen by millions of people through the Tree House Club television programs. There he met Bill Biel, with whom he would start his first business, Jonathan & David (J&D). He joined the Child Evangelism Fellowship (CEF) in Grand Rapids, Michigan. With the guide of Reverend Royal Blue, Butcher made the decision to follow deeper into Christianity. This job paid very little, so he supplemented his income as a janitor. Īs a young man, Butcher was a "chalkboard minister," spreading the teachings of Christianity through illustrations. Soon after his birth, the family moved to Redding, California. He was the third of five children born to a poor family. Iicanada funeral announcements.Butcher was born in Jackson, Michigan, on January 1, 1939.