Woodbury County’s longest-tenured employee passes away

SIOUX CITY, Iowa (KCAU) — Woodbury County’s finance director has passed away Wednesday after battling cancer.

The Missouri River Boat Club said on Sunday that Woodbury County’s finance director Dennis Butler’s battle with cancer was coming to an end. The Boat Club said, “Our friend Dennis Butler that is the heart and soul of the Boat Club has been fighting cancer very hard but unfortunately his brave fight is coming to an end and is preparing for heaven. Please feel free to send a message of love and support here as I know Theresa will be reading them to Dennis and would cherish hearing from you all! We love you Dennis! God speed!”

Woodbury County Board of Supervisors Chairman Matthew Ung said that Butler had been the finance director for Woodbury County for over 47 years. This is the longest anyone has worked for the county, Ung said.

Ung announced in his post that Butler had passed away on Wednesday saying, “It is with a heavy heart that I share the news that Dennis Butler, our finance director, passed away yesterday afternoon, August 21.”

When the county celebrated Butler’s 45th work anniversary, Ung recalls Butler saying, “I love my job, health-wise, if I can, I will stay here another 5 years. We have 3 new projects in the works and I want to see them through to the end, we are re-doing all the gravel roads over the next 5 years, getting them in top-notch shape, the new LEC, and renovations to the courthouse. We have a lot to be proud of here.”

Ung said he was able to speak with Butler before his passing and offered condolences to those who knew Butler on behalf of the local government. “To those who knew him better than I, please accept this: On behalf of the local government he served with devotion, Woodbury County offers our deepest condolences, and our deepest gratitude for the friendship you showed a soft-hearted, hard-working man: Dennis Butler.”

On Thursday afternoon, the Missouri River Boat Club made a post confirming Butler’s passing saying, “Our hearts are heavy today as we share that Dennis fought his greatest fight and was ready to surrender to the Lord and is now in peace and painfree in Heaven.”

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