Kidney Foundation Fundraiser Will Remember Butch Sears

Organizers are expecting more than 200 people at Saturday night’s fundraiser in memory of longtime Newtown resident/employee Butch Sears. The event will take place at the Sandy Hook firehouse and will begin at 5 pm.

Proceeds will go to benefit the kidney foundation.

A spaghetti/ziti dinner will be served and beer and wine will be available. Tickets are $15 and can be purchased at the door. Prior to the event, tickets can be purchased at Social Services, Pizza Palace, and the Newtown highway garage.

Longtime highway department employee William “Butch” Sears died May 23 of kidney failure after serving the town for nearly 30 years. He had been a fixture in the highway department since August 1973, when he was hired as a heavy equipment operator at the landfill. He was named crew chief in 1995.

“Butch was one of the best, not just as a worker, but as a person. He brought so much to this department in terms of himself and the way he was with other people. He was in many ways the hardest working and most generous person we have here,” said Public Works Director Fred Hurley.

Mr Sears grew up and spent most of his life in Newtown before moving to Southbury. He was well known for his love of Harley Davidson motorcycles and was often seen riding his own Harley when the weather got nice. The highway department has long been known for its practical jokesters, and Mr Sears was one of the ringleaders. Struggling with kidney failure, and on dialysis, Mr Sears still put in more than a day’s work this past winter, working alongside other crewmembers as they battled the snowfall day and night.

No doubt, many of Butch’s fellow crewmembers and friends will be on hand Saturday night.