Tom Butler, a partner and founder of LifeThyme, the natural foods store at 410 Sixth Ave. in the Village, died Dec. 3 at the age of 74.
He suffered a massive heart attack in his home in Stamford, Conn., and died in the hospital there, according to Stuart Bander, his business partner.
Thomas Butler was born and raised in northern Virginia. He opened the Sixth Ave. shop with Bander 11 years ago, after having operated the Natural Nutrition health food stores in the late 1970’s. Before that he worked for Vitamin Quota, a distributor of health supplements, Bander said. Butler also opened a formalwear shop in the Stamford area, run by his wife, Bander said.
Three brothers and his wife, Rita, survive. A son, Tom, of San Francisco, and a daughter, Laura, of New Canaan, Conn., also survive. The funeral was in Stamford on Dec. 7.
