SIOUX CITY (KTIV) – Dennis Butler, longtime Woodbury County finance director and community member, died this week after a battle with cancer, friends and family said.

Matthew Ung, chairman of the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, said in a Facebook post: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce that Dennis Butler, our finance director, passed away yesterday afternoon, August 21st.”

Ung adds that Butler was the longest-tenured employee in Woodbury County, working for the county for 47 years.

Ung continued in his statement: “A few years ago, he was highlighted in our employee newsletter for his 45th anniversary of service. He wrote (to his colleagues), ‘I love my job, health-wise, and if I can, I will stay here for another 5 years. We have 3 new projects in the works and I want to see them through to the end. We are resurfacing all the gravel roads and getting them in tip-top shape over the next 5 years, the new LEC, and renovations to the courthouse. We have a lot to be proud of here.'” He continued, in part, “For those who knew him better than I did, please accept this: On behalf of the local government he served with devotion, Woodbury County extends our deepest condolences and our deepest gratitude for the friendship you have shown to a tender-hearted, hard-working man: Dennis Butler.”

Butler was also an important member of the Missouri River Boat Club and helped build a new clubhouse after the old building stood near the edge of the eroded banks of the Big Sioux River.

Read Matthew Ung’s full statement below.

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