Former Cumberland County sheriff Earl Ray "Moose" Butler dies - The Fayetteville Observer

Former Cumberland County Sheriff Earl Ray Butler, affectionately known as "Moose," died Sunday morning, according to the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office.

He was 85 years old.

Butler served as sheriff of Cumberland County for 22 years from 1994 to 2016, when he retired. He was one of the longest-serving, and most widely known, public officials in the county. 

A native of Robeson County, he was raised in Fayetteville's Massey Hill area. Last August, Butler was honored with the renaming of a street outside of his home church, Massey Hill Baptist, now known as Moose Butler Lane.

He graduated from Massey Hill High School in 1956 where he was a star football player. In 1955, Butler was named to the National High School All-American Football Team. His teammates were the ones to give him the nickname "Moose," according to the Sheriff's Office.

Butler's talents led him to play football at UNC-Chapel Hill, where he graduated in 1960, and he was drafted to play for the Pittsburgh Steelers. He had a brief career playing there before he suffered an injury.

He was inducted into the Cumberland County Sports Hall of Fame in 2011.

In 1962, Butler married his wife, Julia, his high school sweetheart. The two were known in the community to work together as a team.

More: PHOTOS: Sheriff Moose Butler retiring after 22 years

More: Sheriff Moose Butler to retire after 22 years

A beloved man

Cumberland County Commissioner Glen Adams order all flags to be lowered to half-staff at all county facilities Sunday to honor Butler.

"We have lost a gentle giant of a man," Adams said in a statement. "Sheriff Butler cared about people. He was a fair and just man who thought about the whole county and how to make it the best place to live for everyone. We will miss him."

The flags will remain lowered until Butler's funeral.

"Many years ago I coined a saying ... that running against Moose Butler was like running against Santa Claus," said George Breece, a Cumberland County civic leader and friend of Butler. "Every time we spoke we would get a big laugh out of that. And that quote was the absolute truth."

For more than two decades, Butler led the Sheriff's Office in several major transformations to the Fayetteville area and in the department, including making it a fully accredited law enforcement agency.

He also spearheaded efforts to establish the county's detention center on Gillespie Street and the Sheriff's Office's training center.

Before his service as sheriff, Butler ran unsuccessfully for the position in 1990. He spent more than 20 years as a state probation and parole officer and was the regional supervisor for the state's Audit Probation and Parole office in Fayetteville. While there, he oversaw operations in Cumberland, Hoke, Scotland, Moore, Richmond, Anson and Montgomery counties.

Butler was also an educator in Cumberland County Schools, having worked as a teacher, guidance counselor and social worker from 1964 to 1967. 

"Please keep the Butler family, friends and the members of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office in your thoughts and prayers during this incredibly difficult time," said a statement from the Sheriff's Office on Sunday afternoon.

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin also shared his condolences on Butler's passing in a statement saying the former sheriff "contributed tremendously to the safety and security of our community with his decades of public service."

"We are rarely given an opportunity to work with a true servant like Moose Butler," Colvin said.

Cumberland County Commissioner Charles Evans emotionally recounted his relationship with Butler, saying Butler was always encouraging to him. 

"Moose Butler was a strong warrior for Cumberland County," said Evans. "He loved the citizens that he served, he was just a good man. Just a good man, and his passing to this community is going to be a tremendous loss."

The news was a shock to Evans.

"This is one of those times when you don't expect this to happen to someone as strong as (Butler) is, you don't even think about that happening," Evans said. "We lost a true warrior."

The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners said they extend their deepest condolences to Butler's family and friends in a statement released Sunday.

"We are grateful for Sheriff Butler's 22 years of service to Cumberland County and the legacy he leaves behind," the statement read.

This is a developing story and will be updated.

Investigative Reporter Kristen Johnson can be reached at kjohnson1@gannett.com.