Jill Renee Butler was born in Atlantic, Iowa, on January 10, 1974, to Gail and Kathy (Evans) Butler. She died from a heart attack while vacationing in Mexico on January 22, 2025, at the age of 51 years and 12 days.
When Jill was a year old, a congenital hip dislocation was discovered and corrected by being in casts and braces with her legs in a frog-leg position for nine months. During that time, Jill’s positive attitude and indomitable spirit became apparent. She learned to stand on her own by pulling herself up to her toy box and learned to walk in her brace while holding her daddy’s hands. Through all of this, she remained a sweet and happy little girl. Jill played golf in high school, and her coach said she could be an excellent player if she would practice more and socialize less! Jill golfed most of her adult life and was decent at it. However, everyone knows for Jill it was all about the friends and fun.
Jill graduated from Atlantic High School in 1992 and enrolled at Iowa State University, majoring in psychology. Her family was afraid she would find a boyfriend from halfway across the country, but luckily she caught the eye of a hometown boy. By the second semester, Jill and Doug Leonard were a couple. They were married on August 3, 1996 after Jill graduated. They lived and worked in Vermillion, SD for two years while Doug finished grad school at University of South Dakota. To their parents’ delight, they returned to Atlantic to start their careers and raise their family. Cooper Douglas Leonard was born May 25, 2001. He graduated from ISU in December 2024. Reagan Shay Leonard was born March 27, 2004. She is a junior at USD in the nursing program.
Jill worked various positions at CCMH/Cass Health for most of her career. During her time there, she formed many friendships with her co-workers. She especially loved her last position in HR because she had so much fun with her team.
Jill is best remembered for her upbeat personality, positive attitude, huge smile, and infectious laugh. She loved her whole family, but loved her husband and kids beyond measure and was an awesome mom. Jill cherished friendships – those made from grade school to college and those that have formed over the course of her adult life. She loved traveling, especially to warm places where she could have fun in the sun. Jill also enjoyed walking with her family, friends, and their dog, Tyson.
Jill was preceded in death by her mother-in-law, Rosemary Leonard, her grandparents Bernard and Eleanor Butler and Bob and Doris Evans, her uncle Kenny Evans, and her fur baby Tyson.
Jill is survived by her husband Doug and her children Cooper and Reagan, her parents Gail and Kathy Butler, her brother Jeremy (Billie) Butler and their children Levi (Mollie) and Ellie; her father-in-law Keith Leonard; brother-in-law David Leonard and his children Catherine, Scott, Thomas, and Mary; her sister-in-law Kate (Tim) Getty and their son Brennan; many aunts, uncles and cousins; and many, many coworkers and friends.
The Mass of Christian Burial for Jill will be held at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, January 31, 2025, at SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church with Very Rev. Trevor Chicoine as the Celebrant and Rev. Bradley Robey as the Concelebrant. Burial will be held following the Mass at the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Cemetery. Following the committal, a reception to celebrate Jill’s life will be held at the Atlantic Golf & Country Club.
Public visitation with the family will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., with a prayer service will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, January 30, 2025, at the SS Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Atlantic.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to the Jill Leonard Memorial Fund, which will be designated later in memory of Jill’s life. They may be mailed to the Schmidt Family Funeral Home P.O. Box 523, Atlantic, IA 50022. Online Condolences may be left at schmidtfamilyfh.com.
Funeral services for Jill Leonard are handled by the Schmidt Family Funeral Home of Atlantic.
