John E. Butler

John Butler Obituary 9/4/32 – 11/28/13 It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of John E. Butler on Thursday, November 28, 2013 at the age of 81 years. John passed away peacefully at his home in Westminster, Colorado surrounded by his loving family. John is survived by his beloved wife of 32 years, Ginny. As a loving father and grandfather, he leaves behind his children, Doug, Patty, Nancy, and RJ. His grandchildren Jesse, Justin, Erin, Kristen, Nicole, Jacob, and Evan. In addition, he is survived by his brother Billy and family. John's life… Once out of high school, John joined the United States Air Force and served for over 8 ½ years including an overseas tour of duty in Japan. As a surgical technician, he proudly delivered over 300 babies (!) and cared for many others during his term of service. In the following years, John settled in the community of Packanack Lake, where he raised his first three children. As a career, he ran a real estate business and was proudly elected President of the Board of Realtors. For over 20 years during this time, he was a volunteer of the Wayne First Aid Squad, holding the position of Director of Safety and Training. He also was a member of the National Ski Patrol and regularly provided assistance to people on the slopes of the Craigmeur Ski Area. Rolling back a few years, John joined the civilian auxiliary arm of US Air Force, the Civil Air Patrol, at the young age of 14 where he proudly served for over 43 years. During his tenure, not only did he achieve the respectable rank of Lt. Colonel, he received many awards. The members counted on him for superb training to conduct missions flown over the Rocky Mountains. He provided valuable advice from his deep knowledge of the rules governing the auxiliary. John was a treasured and very dedicated member who made himself available on a weekly basis for further training whenever needed. He created the much-used ""Gridded Sectional Chart"" for use in mission searches around the state. In the Civil Air Patrol, John donated thousands of hours of his time to the CAP and has flown over 600 hundred hours as a Master Mission Observer/Scanner. He was a respected leader, a sincere friend and a valued trainer/mentor in the Jeffco squadron, number 136. In addition to all his time in the Civil Air Patrol, he dedicated many hours of his days with his grandchildren. He also loved to cook with a special expertise in Chinese cuisine. More recently, he and his family enjoyed many cruises in the Caribbean, Hawaii and of special note, The Panama Canal. As a transplanted citizen of New Jersey, John, with Ginny at his side, lived a full and active life in the ""colorful"" state of Colorado. Here, they raised their son RJ and eventually three grandchildren. John loved everything to do with his newly adopted state, especially the Rocky Mountains. If you ever called his home and got the answering machine, you would hear him say, ""…and have a nice Colorado day!"" John can best be described as a caregiver, teacher and mentor to all. He had keen sense of humor! By whatever name we may have called him, John, Dad, Grandpa, Lt. Col. Butler, Brother or friend, let it be known that he will be sadly missed by everyone who's lives he touched. May his spirit forever soar over the jagged peaks of the Rocky Mountains in the great state of Colorado. There will be a memorial on Tuesday, December 3, 2013 at Horan & McConaty Funeral Home, located at 7577 West 80th Avenue, Arvada, CO 80003. The memorial will be followed by a reception to share memories with family and friends. In Lieu of flowers, donations can be made to: The Wayne First Aid Squad Attn: Memorial Bequest PO Box 291 Wayne, NJ 07474 and/or Jeffco Squadron, Civil Air Patrol Attn: Donation on behalf of John Butler 10675 Airport Way Broomfield, CO 80021 Checks can be payable to ""CAP / Jeffco"". Please share your memories of John and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.