William G. (Bill) Butler

Bill was born in Roselle Park, NJ on February 15, 1924, a child of William George and Anne Butler. He was the second of three children.

Bill was a proud veteran of World War II, where he served in the Army in the Pacific front, including the occupation of Tokyo at the end of the war.

He grew up in Roselle Park, NJ and upon graduation from high school in 1941, he was hired by American Cyanamid in Linden, NJ to work in the Shipping Department. He left Cyanamid to enlist in the Army in 1943, and after his tour of duty in the Army ended, he rejoined Cyanamid in 1946.

Despite not having a college education, Bill was promoted many times during his 42 year career at American Cyanamid, moving from the Shipping Department to become a buyer in the Purchasing Group, then promoted again to travel around the country to Cyanamid’s national network of plants to give seminars on Construction Purchasing & Contracting. Several years later he was then assigned the task of hiring major contractors and overseeing the dismantlement and removal of five obsolete plants in the Southeastern U.S.

In 1969 Bill was promoted again, as Director of Purchasing at the Stamford, CT headquarters, where he stayed until his retirement in 1986, when he and his wife Dorothy then moved to Manchester, NJ.

In addition to his outstanding corporate career, Bill was a highly skilled fresh and salt water fisherman, hunter, a low handicap golfer, an excellent pool player, and a high average bowler. He basically was very good at everything he did. But what he will be most remembered for was being a great Dad.

When his son, Bill was growing up, every weekend was devoted to Father & Son time. Fishing all over the state of NJ, hunting trips, golf lessons, camping, hiking, crabbing on Barnegat Bay, lessons on shooting pool, bowling, sleigh riding in the snow, every weekend was an adventure.

And the highlight was always the annual week long fishing trip to Lake Champlain in Vermont, or Long Lake & Big Lake in northern Maine. Those trips created a lifetime of great memories.

Bill was predeceased by his wife of 63 years, Dorothy Butler, in 2017, and his brother Jack Butler of Colonia, NJ and his sister Dorothy Anne Kimball of Gray, Maine.

Bill is survived by his son, William D. Butler of Sparta, NJ, and his significant other Barbara Nelson Reddish, his two grandchildren, Dr. Matthew Butler of Nashville, TN and Lauren Butler Schmidt and her husband Warren, of Summerfield, NC, along with two great grandchildren, Julia and Kyle Schmidt of Summerfield, NC, and his former daughter in law Julia Butler of Greensboro, NC. Bill is also survived by several nieces and nephews in New Jersey, Maine and Washington State.

Private cremation services were arranged by Anderson & Campbell Funeral Home of Manchester, NJ.

Bill & Dorothy’s final resting place will be at Brigadier General William C. Doyle Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Wrightstown, NJ, with a military service to be held later this summer.