Longtime Cumberland County Sheriff Earl 'Moose' Butler laid to rest in Fayetteville

They called him Moose.

Everyone said he was a big man with a big heart.

"Friend to many. Kind. A giver," said his pastor Tim Evans. "He was first in line to give if there was a need. The lord made a big difference in his life."

Longtime Cumberland County Sheriff Earl “Moose” Butler died Sunday morning, according to a release from the sheriff’s office.

Butler was surrounded by his family and “passed away peacefully,” the release stated.

He grew up in Massey Hill, not far from the church he joined in 1962. He was the Cumberland County sheriff for 22 years, but on Sundays he was Deacon Butler at his church like Ray Smith.

"Losing him to me is probably like losing my daddy all over again. He had that type of impact on me. He's got that kind of impact on everybody in our church," said Smith.

Butler was responsible for taking the Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office through several changes, including making it a fully accredited law enforcement agency. Accreditation helps a department establish and follow several formal standards to increase capabilities, fight crime and reduce liability.

He also helped spearhead the building of a multi-million dollar state-of-the-art detention center.

Cumberland County Sheriff Ennis Wright was handpicked by Butler to take over when he retired in 2016.

"He gave that fatherly advice. Even though he was your boss. He was that family guy," said Wright. "He loved his family. He loved the sheriff's office. He loved the citizens of this county."

It was with full law enforcement honors that the community said goodbye to the man they called Moose.

Butler's funeral was held Thursday at his church, Massey Hill Baptist Church, in Fayetteville.

"He was blessed," said Evans. "We were blessed and he'll be missed. No doubt."

A burial followed in Cross Creek Cemetery.

Flags at all Cumberland County facilities were lowered to half-staff in his honor remained there until he was laid to rest, said Glenn Adams, chairman of the Cumberland County Board of Commissioners.

"First and foremost, 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,” Adams said.

Fayetteville Mayor Mitch Colvin and the members of the city council said, "Today, many hearts of our community are saddened by the passing of Former Sheriff Moose Butler. Sheriff Butler 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. Our thoughts and prayers are with Sheriff Butler’s family and loved ones."

Butler announced his retirement in November 2016, and he officially retired at the end of that year. He began serving as the Cumberland County sheriff in 1994.

"For 22 years, I have had the honor and the privilege to serve as the Sheriff and to lead the best Sheriff's Office imaginable," Butler said at the time of his retirement announcement. "The deputies, detention officers, civilian personnel, traffic control officers and all of the employees of the Cumberland County Sheriff's Office deserve honor and praise, and I thank each of them."

Butler was also a founder of the Shopping with the Sheriff Program.

"It's always been a blessing, no matter how rough it's been during the years, to go out there with those children and their families, and watch them walk up and down the aisles and be able to shop and have a Christmas," Butler told WRAL News in November 2016.

Butler grew up in Cumberland County and graduated from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Before becoming sheriff, he worked as a teacher and guidance counselor in Cumberland County Schools. He also worked as a state probation and parole officer.