BUTALA LOOKED `FOR THE NEXT ADVENTURE' EVENT PLANNER WAS STEVENS' AIDE ON WORLD USO TRAVELS.

Byline: HOLLY J. ANDRES Staff Writer

CHATSWORTH -- Judy Butala, a charity event planner and longtime executive assistant to actress Connie Stevens, died in a Napa Valley car crash Oct. 10, a day after her 60th birthday.

Butala helped promote Stevens' cosmetics line and in recent years was a marketing coordinator for the Aida Thibiant skin care company.

``She was a classically beautiful woman. She had a perfect smile. She could entertain the room with her great sense of humor,'' said her daughter, Lisa Zabaldo. ``It sounds like a cliche, but she did live life like there would be no tomorrow.

``Mom had what people would call spunk. She was always looking for the next adventure.''

Butala traveled extensively during her marriage to ex-husband Tony Butala, lead singer of The Lettermen. She also traveled with Stevens' USO world tour and to Vietnam as a production coordinator with Stevens for a documentary on nurses who served during the Vietnam War.

``She loved exploring new places and discovering new shops. She collected antiques,'' Zabaldo said. ``She was naturally artistic and detail-oriented. She loved planning events and she did the little touches that a lot of people wouldn't think about. She was a jack-of-all-trades, with so many talents.''

Butala also loved going to the movies, especially classics featuring John Wayne or Elizabeth Taylor. Her favorite singers included Barbra Streisand, Johnny Mathis and Neil Diamond.

``She could get a party going in a second. She was always the life of the party. She lit up the room. People gravitated to her,'' said Teri Brown, who knew Butala for 34 years. ``She was a wonderful mother and her No. 1 priority was her family. Judy was very passionate about animals and volunteered her time at Shambala (a wildlife preserve). She was a beautiful lady.''

Judith Ann Blaskovich was born Oct. 9, 1946, in Gary, Ind. She graduated from Ball State University in Muncie, Ind., with a degree in art and journalism. She was a member of Chi Omega and the sorority's 1969 homecoming queen.

Butala moved to Chatsworth when she married Tony Butala in 1969. She was a former member of St. John Eudes Roman Catholic Church in Chatsworth. She also lived for a time in Sherman Oaks and Tarzana.

Butala is survived by four children, Anthony Butala, Rebecca Butala, Lisa Zabaldo and Regina Ball; her mother, Helen Blaskovich; and a sister, Janice Broman.

A memorial was held Thursday at Oakwood Memorial Park in Chatsworth. Butala was cremated.

Donations in her memory may be sent to Shambala Preserve, 6867 Soledad Canyon Road, Acton, CA 93510, or the Horse Protection Society, 2135 Miller Road, China Grove, NC 28023.

holly.andres(at)dailynews.com

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