Ambrose 'Butch' Borowicz

Ambrose “Butch”  E. Borowicz, age  79 of Litchfield, MN died on Sunday January 1, 2023 in Litchfield, MN.   A Mass of Christian Burial will be held Monday, January 9, 2023 at 1:30 PM at the Church of St. Philip in Litchfield.   A visitation will be held from 12:00 Noon until the 1:30 PM service.  Interment will be at Calvary Cemetery in Litchfield. The service will be livestreamed at www.johnsonhagglund.com

Ambrose “Butch” Eugene Borowicz, the son of Frank and Belvina (Kasprowicz) Borowicz was born in Warren, MN on March 5, 1943.  He was the youngest of 12 children born into a strong Polish heritage that he was so proud of. He carried on many Polish traditions learned from his mother and father throughout his life. Butch, along with his brothers and sisters, grew up in Stephen, MN where he received his education and graduated high school in 1962. Throughout his childhood, he enjoyed spending time with his siblings and childhood friends out on the family farm.  On June 6, 1964 he married JoAnne Safranski in Stephen, MN. They began their life together there, starting a family, living close to parents and siblings. Butch’s excellent carpentry skills and ingenuity was made evident in their family home that he planned and built himself for his growing family.  While in Stephen, Butch also owned and operated Butch’s Bar & Lounge and then The Dairy Bar, the local ice cream shop. As a side gig, Butch also put his auctioneer skills to use at various surrounding auctions.  In the winter time, you’d often find him on a snowmobile where he sometimes participated in several races.

In 1985, with dreams of pursuing his own business, he and JoAnne moved their family to Litchfield, MN where he owned and operated Butch’s Drywall and continued to raise his family of 7 beautiful children. Since then, Litchfield was home where he became a household name in drywall, contracting for many homes and businesses throughout the area. It wasn’t long before his sons Philip and Jeremy honed Butch’s masterful skills, taking after their Dad in the drywall business and soon became Butch and Sons Drywall. Butch ran his business for many years before retiring in 2012, although still “dabbling in the mud” with his sons when needed.

On June 25, 1994, Butch was united in marriage to Jan Budolfson in Litchfield, MN. Butch and Jan loved to travel together and especially enjoyed many camping trips with family and friends. They also shared a passion for growing and tending to their garden. One of their favorite things to do was attending their grandchildren's various sporting events and activities.

You would often find Butch at “the shop” where he spent countless hours crafting and building pieces out of wood such as tables, clocks, chairs, shelving, and fixing anything broken! If you had a piece that Butch created, you know it was made with meticulous hands and love. He also was a talented mechanic and loved to tinker on cars, motorcycles, snowmobiles and just about anything. “The shop” was also the home of his annual potato sausage making where his kids would often join in carrying on this beloved family tradition.  He had many friends and family swinging by to see what he was up to and share some conversation and laughs.

One talent that is sure to have stood out to many, was his beautiful singing voice. He loved classic country music and could sing just about any song that was requested. He had a gift of replicating many artists to a tee and bringing a crowd to cheers and ovations. His love of music was shared throughout his children's upbringing, and especially with his daughter Paula where they created their own singing and karaoke show often being asked to share their talents at various events and establishments. They were quite the combination and loved to entertain those who shared their love of the classics!

Butch will be remembered as a hard worker, always willing to help others with his hands and time. His natural skills were impeccable. Butch absolutely loved to make people laugh and was always quick with a joke and full of many “one liners” as many would just shake their heads and laugh with him. He often liked to invoke some lines spoken in Polish.  He loved to visit with family and friends, often making his rounds on his scooter, or wheeling up to a local ball game. You always knew he was approaching on his scooter by tooting the horn………”yep, here comes Butchy”!  Once you knew Butch, he may have affectionately dubbed a nickname for you, as he often did with family and friends. You could always count on a good laugh and a story with Butch.

Above anything else, Butch’s faith was very strong and so important to him as a member of the Church of St. Philip. He was steadfast in his beliefs, carried this faith throughout his life and cared deeply for his family. He was fully prepared to enter the kingdom of heaven and be reunited with his parents, siblings and daughter.

Butch is survived by his loving wife Jan of Litchfield, MN; children Jodie (David) Lecher, Patrick (Steve) Borowicz, Philip (Tammy) Borowicz, Jeremy (Shanna) Borowicz, Janna Borowicz and Kristin Borowicz; son in law, Jeff Schlangen, step-children Tim (Denise) Olson, Joel Olson, Jason Olson and Kari Lund; 15 grandchildren, 3 great grandchildren; and sisters Dorothy Orcutt of Bloomington, MN and Adele Beach of Lake Forest, CA as well as many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Belvina; daughter Paula; and siblings John, Gabe, Ray, Eleanor, Conrad, Henry, Frank, Thomas and Ralph.