Danny “Tip” Boutwell

Published 8:05 am Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Danny “Tip” Ralph Boutwell, Sr., age 86, a lifelong resident of the Springhill Community in Pike County, Alabama, passed away Friday, December 25, 2020. A graveside service was held Monday, December 28, 2020, at 2 p.m. in the Springhill Baptist Church Cemetery with Reverend Kenny Horn officiating. Pallbearers were Evan House, Elijah House, Christopher Davis, Manley Davis, Daniel Boutwell, Robert Hines, and Matt Darby. Honorary pallbearers were Fred Taylor, B.B. Palmer, Ronnie Rainey, and John Knight. Green Hills Funeral Home directed.

Tip Boutwell ─ patriarch, good sir, jokester, buddy, boss ─ in all the ways you may have come to know him, he was certainly a “good one” to know. Tip was a knowledgeable fixture for many years as a manager with the local Piggly Wiggly stores and then, until his retirement, as a resource with Whaley Farm Supply. He brought an abundance of experience through his own farming adventures raising hogs and chickens and later cattle, and planting acres full of corn just to feed his hogs, or perhaps just to keep his son busy. Tip was always his best-self outside. He delighted in the ripple of a good fishing hole and the success of a mess of catfish and bream, the hunt of a great Southern whitetail deer, exercising his sharpshooting skills to eliminate pesky snakes, though sometimes at the expense of Mrs. Doris’s flowerpots, and cooking-up something good in his Dutch oven. He was devoted to his faith and family, serving as a deacon in Springhill Baptist Church and being an exemplary father figure and model of a hard-working gentleman. He often referenced essential life lessons taught through sports, and the importance of cheering-on the only team that mattered, the Alabama Crimson Tide. Tip, long ago, built an old corn crib to house his crops’ bounty, and it now serves as a signature backdrop to many family gatherings. And like Tip, “The Crib” is a solid structure, unwavering and unmatched, and a longstanding testament to the significance of a good foundation.

Mr. Boutwell is survived by his wife of 66 years, Doris Boutwell; children, Hope Baker (Joe), Danny Boutwell (Sandy), and Elecia Bruns (Aaron); grandchildren, Johanna Hines (Robert), Daniel Boutwell (Rachael), Jennifer Boutwell, Alison Darby (Matt), Manley Davis, Christopher Davis, Emily House (Elijah), Sarah Smith (Daniel), Evan House, and Cole Bruns; 13 great-grandchildren; and sister-in-law, Felicia Boutwell. He was preceded in death by his parents, Ralph and Verbie Boutwell; brother, Max Boutwell; and sister, Betty Jean Martin.

The family will be accepting flowers or charitable contributions may be made in his honor to the Springhill Baptist Church Building Fund (64 County Road 3350, Troy, AL 36079). Friends and family can sign the guestbook online at www.greenhillsfuneralhome.net. The staff of Green Hills Funeral Home is honored to serve the Boutwell family.