MARION -- The body of Robert L. Butler will lie in state in the lobby of the Marion Cultural and Civic Center on Monday and Tuesday (April 29-30) of next week, followed by a public memorial service at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday inside the civic center, the mayor's daughter has confirmed.
"My mother and I are, as he (Butler) would be, humbled and deeply touched by the outpouring of respect and kindness shown to us to by so many people and citizens of Marion and southern Illinois," said Butler's daughter, Beth.
Butler, who was mayor of Marion from 1963 to 2018, making him the longest-serving mayor in Illinois municipal history, was well known throughout the region and the state. The hours of his visitation will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, April 29 and again from 9 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, April 30.
Butler helped to secure the funding for the city's first Civic Center, which opened in 1975. He was a staunch supporter of its rebuilding after it was destroyed by fire in 1997, and credited his wife, Louetta, with driving the rebuild forward.
Beth Butler said that instead of flowers the family would prefer memorial contributions in honor of her father to local organizations: the Marion Cultural & Civic Center, the Lighthouse Shelter Foundation, the Girl Scouts of the USA, and the Boy Scouts of America.
Envelopes will be available at the MCCC.
"We feel that his legacy has already touched so many people," said Beth.
Mayor Mike Absher posted the following statement on the City's Facebook page: "As our City and our employees mourn the loss of Mayor Emeritus Robert Butler, please be advised that all City of Marion offices will be closed at 1 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30, 2019 for the duration of the normal business day so that our employees can attend Mayor Butler's Memorial Service.
City services will resume in full capacity on Wednesday, May 1, 2019 at the normal start of business."
Mitchell-Hughes Funeral Home has been entrusted with the arrangements.
