Earl Ray “Moose” Butler Obituary, Cause Of Death, Wife, Children

Former Cumberland County Sheriff Earl Ray Butler, affectionately known as “Moose,” has died on Sunday morning, at age 85.

His cause of death is yet to be revealed.

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.

Earl Ray “Moose” Butler Wife & Children
In 1962, Butler married his wife, Julia, his high school sweetheart, and they had children together. The two were known in the community to work together as a team.

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.