Rosalind Butterworth was born in Kidderminster on 6 April 1960, the daughter of Arthur Butterworth, warden of a university hall of residence and Sylvia, née Prophet, a biologist. Her early education was at King Edward School for Girls in Birmingham before entering Leicester University Medical School. During her student years she spent her elective period in Sarawak where she stayed in a native hut. While there she went up rivers by small boat, visiting local tribes people in their longhouses and pursuing research into the healing of wounds and fractures. On her return to Leicester this work was presented as a dissertation. After qualifying she decided to pursue a career in general surgery. Her early appointments were in Leicester and Nuneaton and she later moved to a senior house officer post in Swansea. She passed the FRCS Edinburgh in 1988 and the FRCS in the following year. Her registrar and senior registrar posts were at the University Hospital of Wales and while there she underwent further research into wound healing. This study was successfully presented as a thesis for the degree of MD at the University of Leicester in 1992. She had wide outside interests including ski-ing, swimming, art, carpentry and restoring antiques which she was able to pursue despite busy professional commitments. In May 1993 she married Derek Jones, a research worker in the department of surgery at the University Hospital in Wales. Shortly after her marriage she developed a uterine cancer and had a pelvic clearance performed in Cardiff. Her immediate recovery was good and she was able to return to her post at the University Hospital. Later however she became unwell and returned with her husband to her parents' home in Cleobury Mortimer, Shropshire, where she developed an obstructive uropathy. Although she had completed the exacting training required of a surgical aspirant, she sadly never attained the goal of a consultant post. She died at her parents' home on 29 June 1995, and the address at her funeral service was delivered by Mr Brian Rees, her chief in Cardiff, who commented on her bubbly personality.