Wash tomatoes thoroughly. Put into saucepan with water just covering the tomatoes. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove tomatoes with slotted spoon to bowl of blender or food processor. Add celery and onion. Process until smooth (I used my hand blender). Heat 1 tbsp butter in saucepan, add tomato mixture from blender and cook on medium heat for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper. Cream may be added at this point to make soup smoother and creamier. You can also add the other two tablespoons of butter to enhance the flavor!
Serve immediately or cool and freeze in 2 cup portions for future use. This freezes very well, so save some for later IF you don't use the cream. You can also freeze without the cream and then add it when you reheat it.