Sturgis-Coldwater News

State Representative Jennifer Wortz announced that the Michigan House of Representatives has passed Senate Bill 70, which would rename a section of M-34 in Hillsdale County as the Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr. Memorial Highway. The bill applies to the stretch between Pioneer Road and South Pittsford Road.

“Last year, as I sat at Deputy Butler’s funeral service, I was struck by how beauty and sorrow can coexist at the same time,” said Wortz, R-Quincy. “Thousands attended – police officers from around our state and country, some as far as Texas – came to pay tribute to a man who gave his life in the line of duty to protect his community from harm. As the question is always asked after such a tragedy, ‘Why Bill? Why now?’ His wife, Sarah, answered that question, and it was shared at the funeral: ‘Why not Bill?’ Who better to defend and protect his community than Bill, a man who loved his country, loved to serve, and was more than willing to lay down his life for others?”

Deputy Sheriff William Butler, Jr., an Iraq War veteran who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom, returned home and worked for 12 years with the Hillsdale County Sheriff’s Office. On June 27, 2024, while helping another deputy during a traffic stop, he was shot by an assailant and later died from his injuries. He is survived by his wife Sarah, five children and two grandchildren.

The legislation now moves to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for final approval.