Bortmas remembered as flower shop owner, car enthusiast, father
On this day back in the day, a crowd of men would be found assembled inside Bortmas, The Butler Florist waiting to pick up the box of roses they had ordered for the women they loved.
Valentine's Day and other holidays were so busy for the Butler businessman that the children of the late owner Leeland “Lee” Bortmas got their friends from high school to work with them at the flower shop.
“You would go out through that door and see men everywhere just waiting to pick up flowers,” said Polly Palermo, one of Bortmas' children who used to work at the shop. “Valentine's Day was very busy. Mother's Day was even busier.”
Bortmas, who sold the shop in 1979 and went on to collect and restore Bantam Jeeps and other classic vehicles, and serve in many community organizations, died Feb. 7 at the age of 94.
He began working for his father at the shop in 1952 after he was discharged from the Army.
Palermo’s recollection of the business begins at the shop’s original location on Jefferson Street.
Her grandfather Charles Bortmas bought the shop in 1927 during the Great Depression for $600. Her father bought the business from his father. The family eventually moved the business to its current location on East Wayne Street.
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