Fitness promoter Stephanie Buttermorespouse, Jeff Nippardspoke for the first time following his death last month.
“Last week I spent time with Stephanie’s family and closest friends to celebrate her life and talk about her memories,” Nippard, 35, captioned an Instagram post on Tuesday, April 28. “When I think about Stephanie, I keep going back to how loving and kind she was. She truly made the world a better place.”
Nippard told fans that while Buttermore was studying for her PhD, she wrote a book about a protein called RHAMM, which “may help detect ovarian cancer early.” Nippard shared a link to his dissertation for those interested before continuing his sweet message about Buttermore.
“It was one of the first things that made me fall in love with him,” he continued. “On her YouTube channel, she’s helped people feel less alone, especially when it comes to dealing with food and their bodies. Her journey has helped a lot of people accept themselves more, and I admire her for doing that.”
Nippard said he built a “backyard garden” in honor of Buttermore and his mother.
“Over the past few weeks, I have read many of your messages, and the support has helped us all,” he added. “Stephanie’s mom loves hearing stories about the difference her daughter made.
Nippard’s words concluded, “If you were a fan of Stephanie, I’d be a fan of yours. I hope she made your life better in some way. She made my life amazing and I’m so grateful for the time we had.”
On March 6, news broke that Buttermore had died at the age of 36.
“It is with great sadness that we share the sudden passing of Jeff’s fiancée and partner of 10 years, Stephanie,” Nippard’s team announced in an Instagram statement at the time. As many of you know, Stephanie meant the world to Jeff.
The statement remembered Buttermore for his “warmth and compassion” and his PhD research. Before his death, Buttermore had nearly 600,000 followers on Instagram and over a million YouTube subscribers. The fitness promoter is stepping down from social media in 2024 following mental health issues.
“We kindly ask for privacy as we deal with this tragic loss,” the caption concluded. “Thank you for your understanding and support during this difficult time.”
