I can't remember the first time I met Butch & Paula... because it feels like I've known them forever. We all make friends while at Spyderfest and other events, but there was always something special about this family from Minnesota. Butch could laugh about things, but also talk about serious things with a concern. He was a genuine guy. Loved his family and riding his Spyder... he was fortunate to be able to combine those two loves into the various trips they went on.
They're the kind of people that even though you may not see them for a year, you can pick up right where you left off. Each year I look forward to hanging with them. We became a bit of a 'breakfast club' after finding a great little diner last year (Carriage House near Pitbull).
I always gave Butch a hard time about being so damn tall around me... now I'll miss the big smiling shadow he had.
I believe the services will be this Thursday at 4:00pm. Working on getting things together to ride over to MN for the weekend.
Make every day count people.... you never know when it's your last one!
RIP Butch.
Very true dan. both dan from MI who rode over and Dan from NC flew over after business came to the funeral /passing party that had over 300 people come in, along with over 30 spyders.
I was at such a loss when I got the call about butch passing away, I was working in dispatch at 315am when I found out, I stil can not believe he is gone.
I met butch and paula at the first spyder fest in 2010, paula told me about when Butch and herself saw my mn plate and my re dic u lous posts on SL, ann , joe, the DanZ, doc, forest and jim were a great core group. Ever since then we tried to ride as much as we could up in the great white north, it saddens me to hear butch in my memories saying "be careful" to paula and I riding hard around the curves.
In one of the conversations I jokingly said do you have any single daughters and unfortunately for them they did, after meeting heather at butch and paula's house we have been together ever since and they have been nothing but outstanding people.
Like dan said about picking the conversations were they left off, butch was a wealth of knowledge of who people were and what they rode and where they were from, and would lend helping hand to all.
He was a great man, a excellent dad and a true friend.
I very much appreciate all the calls, texts, messages and outpouring of help from all the spyder people and beyond.