Deputy William Butler Jr. memorialized as a dreamer, giver, helper and family man

HILLSDALE — Deputy William Butler Jr. was remembered as a family man and servant leader Wednesday at funeral services attended by hundreds of law enforcement officers and other first responders.

Butler died June 27 after being shot during a traffic stop, the first Hillsdale County deputy to die in the line of duty since the 1930s. He served a total of 12 years with the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office. He also served in the Michigan Army National Guard and returned to the road patrol after his military retirement.

First responders first gathered with Butler's family, friends and colleagues for a service at Hillsdale College’s Christ Chapel. They came from as far away as Arizona and included a delegation from the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. Afterward, the funeral procession of scores of police vehicles, fire engines, ambulances and motorcycles headed through downtown Hillsdale, under an American flag hung from a pair of fire engines’ aerial ladders and past the hundreds of community members who lined the streets, to Lakeview Cemetery for a military burial service featuring the playing of taps and a recording of the ceremonial last dispatch for Butler from Hillsdale County Central Dispatch, rifle volleys and a fly-by from an Oakland County Sheriff’s Office helicopter.

At least 700 law enforcement officers attended the services, said Matthew Saxton, executive director of the Michigan Sheriff’s Association. There also were many firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in attendance along with active-duty military and veterans.

During the service at Hillsdale College’s Christ Chapel, Hillsdale County Sheriff Scott Hodshire told Butler’s wife, Sarah, his children and other relatives, and the multitude who filled the pews that “we will not allow your husband, your dad, your son, your friend to ever be forgotten.”

“He made the greatest sacrifice, and we shall never forget,” he said. “The lights will turn off, the music will fade, the social media stops posting, and this is when we, your thin blue line, will be right here.”

Hodshire said in difficult times he is comforted by his faith and recalled the Gospel of John were Jesus said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

“Deputy Butler paid the ultimate price for maintaining law and order and preventing chaos,” Hodshire said. “He laid down his life.”

Hodshire thanked the community for the comfort and kindness expressed to the sheriff’s department since Butler died.

State Rep. Andrew Fink of Hillsdale said Butler’s life was an example of service and that he lived the words of the oath he took as a soldier and as a deputy.

“Wearing the sheriff's star, he stood one last time on Thursday between us, his neighbors, his friends, his family, and one who would do us harm,” Fink said. “And living his life this way, Deputy Butler showed us that his oath as a serviceman was not just words, and in giving the last full measure of devotion to his community, Deputy Butler showed us that his oath as a deputy sheriff was not just words.”

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In his eulogy, Hillsdale Hospital president and CEO and former undersheriff Jeremiah J. Hodshire recalled how Butler, in his younger days, liked to party and would hold band concerts in fields that weren’t his and collect parking money that wasn’t his. Later, he became a reserve deputy and then a corrections officer before joining the road patrol. Some people knew him as a real estate agent who worked to get his clients a good deal. Others knew him as Sgt. William Butler of the National Guard. To his family, he was a son, husband and father.

“Whatever it is, whatever the title, it conjures images of a rugged, engaging and caring man. That's what Bill Butler was,” Jeremiah Hodshire said.

Four qualities that defined Butler, Hodshire said, were being a dreamer, a giver, a helper and a family man.

He dreamed of being a police officer, and achieved that, starting as a reserve deputy and a reserve Hillsdale city police officer. He eventually attended the police academy.

Butler’s 20 years of military service was an example of him giving of himself, Hodshire said.

“While he felt obligated to serve our country, he was passionate about law enforcement and serving his community,” he said. “Bill died being a giver. He gave his life so that others could have theirs.”

As a helper, Hodshire said, Butler “helped the homeless. He helped the inmates. He helped the needy. He gave rides to people who didn't have a ride coming out of the hospital when he was working security. He would often be seen giving money out to those who needed money on the streets.”

Hodshire said in the past week he heard from a former deputy who shared a story about the county’s budget not allowing for Thanksgiving dinners for the inmates at the jail. Butler stepped up to provide those turkey dinners.

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“That's the heart of Bill Butler,” Hodshire said. “That's who he was. He didn't have to do that. They were inmates, right? That speaks volumes to the person that he was always investing in someone else's life.”

“Most valiant of all,” Hodshire said, “Bill Butler died a family man. From a young age of adulthood, he wanted to be a family man. And he did so by creating a good life for all five of his children. Billy knew poverty, he knew what it was like to live paycheck to paycheck and at times from day to day. For this, he vowed to work hard.”

Hodshire also shared stories about Butler and his family, including how Bill met Sarah when she was the new jail nurse and about officiating their wedding.

“Billy lived every aspect of the golden rule, to his community, his family, to his friends,” Hodshire said. “He treated others the way he wanted to be treated. A dreamer, a giver, a helper, a family man.”

Butler knew the risks of his profession, Hodshire said. In talking with Sarah Butler, she said, “Why not Bill?”

“In her grief and in her loss, she understood that her husband set out with a mind towards servitude and sacrifice,” Hodshire said. “Had it been someone else, Sarah knows that Bill would forever question it himself, as why wasn't it him?

“He placed himself in the situation every day, knowing full well, the potential outcome of his act of bravery and service. It does not make it right. It does not ease that pain. But it helps us understand the spirit of Bill Butler.”

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As a servant leader, Hodshire said, Butler “would want nothing more than to know that his life has left a legacy of inspiration for those around us to give more, to love more, to not judge as often as we do, and to put others first beside ourselves.”

Hodshire also addressed the assembled deputies, officers and troopers.

“Do not let this tragedy cause you to ever question who you are, why you are doing this noble job,” he said. “…We need good men and women to stand in the balance between good and evil, light and darkness. If all good men and women were to surrender to the consent of a few with evil intentions, the angry mob if you will, as the sheriff said earlier, we would have chaos.”

No person can say something that can heal the community, Hodshire said, but forgiveness provides a path forward.

“Forgiveness is not acceptance. It's not saying that what happened was OK,” he said. “But forgiveness will allow us to move forward. We can move to a place where we can find peace and hope, leading to a path of physical, spiritual and emotional wellness.”

— Contact reporter David Panian at dpanian@lenconnect.com or follow him on X, formerly Twitter: @lenaweepanian.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Funeral honors Hillsdale County Sheriff's Deputy William Butler Jr.