Ilona Butterfield
1944-2014
Sandy, UT-Ilona Butterfield, age 69, passed away on March 26, 2014.
Born on October 1, 1944 in Copenhagen, Denmark to Niels Volmer Pedersen and Ida E. Pedersen. 
The world lost a very special lady. Many people knew our mother, she was notorious as a mom, grandmother, sister, real estate broker and friend to many. Words cannot express our sorrow, this was completely unexpected. Our mom was quite the character and everyone knew what a unique individual she was; witty, "one of a kind", and with a creative use of language. There were no mixed messages with her, she always told it exactly like she saw it.
Ilona was an amazing woman. Her parents, Ida and Volmer Pedersen worked for two years to be able to immigrate the family to America, a dream of theirs. So in 1959 at the age of 14 they made the long trek across the ocean to America, specifically Utah. In Denmark they had met Mormon missionaries from Utah, they told them that they would find gold in the streets. This same family, the Poulsons, welcomed them once they arrived, and gave them endless support and love.
Ilona was extremely intelligent; not knowing the English language was no issue because she quickly learned. In fact, after testing she was moved up a grade without knowing English. She was always busy and tried to always stay productive.
In 1976, Ilona started her career in real estate and in 1981 after 6 years of award winning production, she opened her own real estate brokerage, Oakview Realtors. She was always known for her hard work and uncompromising ethics in business. She was very proud of her career, being able to help people achieve their dream of owning a home.
Nothing meant more to Ilona than her grandchildren; Alex Day, Spenser Owens and Cole Owens. To put it simply, Ilona's favorite hobbies were her grandchildren! Without fail she attended almost all of her grandchildren's lacrosse games, cheering events, basketball and the list goes on for a long while. Ilona's skills were plentiful; her cooking skills were legendary, people loved going to her home for almost any type of cuisine, especially Danish food. There was always an "open-door" at her home for anyone to drop by for a swim or just a meal. The family spent a great deal of recreation time skiing and attending University of Utah sporting events with her children and grandchildren. Ilona enjoyed traveling with the Utah football team to the Fiesta Bowl and the Sugar Bowl.
Ilona is survived by her two daughters; Sandy Day (Mark) and Sherrie Owens (Kerry), Grandchildren; Alex Day, Spenser Owens and Cole Owens; Sister, Irene Simons (Randy); Nephews, Eddy Simons (Stephani) and Matthew Simons (Brittany); Great Nephews and Nieces (Kaden, Kali, Kamdyn, Ben and Lexi). Danish family; Rita Tofte Nielsen, Jeanne and Claus Frederiksen, Julie and Mark Tofte Johnsen, Christine and Marc Tofte Werup. She was preceded in death by Niels Volmer Pedersen (father), Ida Elna Pedersen (mother).
Graveside services will take place on Friday, April 4th, 2014 at Mountain View Memorial, 3115 East 7800 South at 3:00 pm. Following the Graveside Service there will be an Open House to celebrate the life of Ilona at Market Street Grill - Cottonwood, 2985 E. Cottonwood Parkway from 4:30 pm to 6:30 pm. Please bring your favorite story or fondest memory of Ilona to share.

Published in Salt Lake Tribune from Mar. 30 to Apr. 3, 2014

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/saltlaketribune/obituary.aspx?pid=170420122