Cornhusker Marching Band member Tyler A. Butterfield died Friday, October 26, 2018, as the result of a traffic accident in Lincoln, Nebraska.
Funeral services for Butterfield, 20, of Lincoln, formerly of Norfolk, were held Oct. 31 at First Christian Church in Norfolk.
“Tyler was well known and cherished throughout our program,” said Anthony Falcone, Director of the Cornhusker Marching Band and Associate Director of Bands at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Glenn Korff School of Music. “He was a part of many smaller communities within our larger Band community and thus touched many. Within the Marching Band he was a leader in the trumpet section, the largest in the Band, and a member of the Football Friday Pep Band, a small group from within the larger ensemble that played for Alumni and Gameday functions. He also participated in the Big Red Express and Campus Band. Tyler was a Brother of Kappa Kappa Psi National Honorary Band Fraternity, an organization dedicated to the betterment of Collegiate Bands. His fellow students will remember him for his friendship, loyalty and leadership. He had a particular way of making people feel welcome and at ease and could always make you laugh. He’ll be sorely missed.”
Douglas Bush, Assistant Director of Bands at Nebraska said, “All of my interactions with Tyler were genuinely positive. He was always pitching in to help. If you needed a group to perform for a game or added event, he was always willing to volunteer. Just last week, I thanked him for his help in setting up chairs for our pep band rehearsal. He was an engaged and highly involved band member. I’m going to miss his brand of enthusiasm.”
Butterfield was a junior majoring in Accounting in the College of Business.
A number of bands around the country have paid tribute to Butterfield on social media and elsewhere. Here is a small sampling of the tributes received:
• Trumpet players from throughout the SEC Football Conference paid tribute in this video: https://go.unl.edu/uq5u.
• The Ohio State University's marching band paid tribute by spelling out "Tyler" during their Nov. 3 halftime show when the team played Nebraska. See a photo at KETV.com's website: https://go.unl.edu/jsub.
• Trumpet sections of both the University of Iowa and Purdue University joined together to honor Butterfield. See the video at the University of Iowa Hawkeye Marching Band Facebook page: https://go.unl.edu/r9ey.
• Boise State University band members spelled out a red "N" in Butterfield's honor in a post on Twitter: https://go.unl.edu/cpz7.
The Glenn Korff School of Music and Cornhusker Marching Band thank everyone for the tributes and condolences received for Butterfield.