

BUTCH LIEBERT, 42

7.21.1977 – 9.13.2019

Larger than life. From his hands, to his heart, to his deck (yes, deck), Butch was a man among boys. His smarts, his smirk, and his sarcasm were disarming, endearing, and biting all at once. On Friday September 13, 2019 we lost Butch to a sudden and tragic tree-cutting accident in White Hall, MD. We lost one of the good guys; one of the best guys. His passions and talents are too many to mention, and nothing was ever done half-assed. Especially the way he cared for his wife, his son, and his Jeeps. He was an amazing husband to his wife Stephanie who made him whole, and an extraordinary father to his son CJ. He had no formal training but could build anything with his hands; from vehicles to structures, to the type of home he could be proud of, the type of home his wife and son felt safe and protected and loved in. A paradise.

They say when you own a Jeep, every other Jeep owner in the world is your friend. Here are a few words from Butch’s oldest and closest:

Chris T: I first met Butch in December ’99. Steph was surprising Butch with a CJ I was selling; tricking him into thinking it was already sold so she could have it in front of the house on Christmas Day with a big red bow on top. He was truly like a kid with a new toy.

This is where the off-roading life started and a friendship that I will cherish and miss forever. Butch was an amazing friend, loving husband, and a super hero with CJ.

Bronco Lou: Butch was the type of family man that most men struggle to be, he managed to build his own paradise with Stephanie and CJ, while we all got a little piece of him every now and then. Butch was the eternal promoter of making bad ideas/poor decisions turn into incredible and hilarious moments. He always brought laughter to the most serious situation whether you wanted it or not.

I remember one time my truck broke down on the way to the OHV Extravaganza Event. Butch and Steph drove the suburban to York from Paragon to pick up my trailer and Bronco so he could salvage the event for Becky and I. He mentioned the trailer seemed heavy and his mileage was the worst ever while towing. Probably because he drove the entire 6 hours in Four Wheel Drive.

Kyle B: I heard a vehicle on the M trail at Paragon and went to check it out. It was Butch and Steph. Butch had gotten his Jeep hung enough on a rock, that it was not getting any traction. Butch had a hammer and screwdriver and was attempting to chisel away enough of the rock to clear his shackle. The rock was least 10’ by 10’. When I caught him, his reaction was priceless – he was really going to chisel away that rock to clear that Jeep.

One day we were talking about life and he was giving me advice on being married. He said it’s being a team. Him and Steph are a team and it’s him and her against the world. It is just something that has stuck with me. A half conversation from 15+ years ago but one I really remember for some reason.

Scuba Steve: I heard someone call Butch the “Mayor Of Four Wheeling” – that sums it up for all us. Without us even realizing it we all have him to thank for each other. He knew every line from every movie worth watching, and he would let loose on everyone and everything about anything and everything. Yet he is always there to spot for you or help drag your broke crap out of the woods.

Jason G: Butch was my teammate for a rock crawling competition in Indiana. He brought a different atmosphere, always making us shake our heads and laugh. On one of the obstacles I rolled my jeep on its side right into a puddle. But mind you this was right in the middle of a cow field, so it was a bit pungent. Over the headset Butch’s comments ranged from “Don’t worry about them – you got this” to “That’s poopy.” This is the just one of the many memories I have of Butch and his love for living life to the fullest.

Steve R: I remember Butch first walked into a B4W club meeting and my first thought was “Who is that guy?” He was a larger than life young man, who would stand quietly in the back watching and listening, then come out with a profound statement that would silence the room. Then the grin.

His wife Stephanie made him whole – both apart and together they were a larger than life couple always willing to help others.

Shake-N-Bake: Butch was the one who got me into 4 wheeling. He showed me the ropes and took me on my first 4 wheeling trip to Paragon. That led to forming the tightest circle of the most loyal friends I could ever ask for.

Brain: Butch was truly a great man and somebody that I am proud to call a best friend. I would be honored if he looked at me in the same manner. He is someone I would tell stories to just to hear him laugh or tell me I was being a jackass. I can positively say he was the type of guy I aspire to be.

Work with people you love, and you’ll never work a day in your life. Over the past two decades in the technology field, Butch worked alongside a cast of characters. Here are a few words from them:

Scottie-too-Hottie (The Fox): Not sure where to begin; from longtime friend, to brother-in-law, to co-worker. Someone I have spent most of my days with, I will always hear your voice. Butch gave us all spirit animals. He was the wolf. The pack leader. The strongest and most intelligent one of all. The one that led us into every situation. If a new job came along that no one has ever seen before or worked on, Butch was the one they choose to lead the way. He was chosen as the leader of the group to keep us all in place and keep the work flow going. He was not scared to jump into any situation and lead the team to success. He took not only local jobs on but nationwide, company-changing ones.

Lance: Butch always talked about him and CJ’s love of Step- brothers. He told me that he would put his feet up on the sofa, wait for CJ to come by and say “You’re not supposed to have your feet on the couch.” They would then act out the scene. Always loved that story and how much he loved this special bond with this son.

Carl (The Bear): He was an absolutely brilliant, respectful and relentlessly hard-working man that I looked so forward to seeing happily retire and just being able to chill with. He was Main Mang, My Ace, Partner in Swoll Patrol, Big Homie, Great Friend and Mentor. 20 years is a long time to know someone, but he made it fly by. I would have left the if it were not for his words ‘Stay here Mang, I got you’. He definitely did. From screaming at the top of his lungs “SHOUT AT THE DEVILLL!!” to holding my passed out 270lb body up while shifting gears driving down the Eastern Shore, because he didn’t have the heart to wake me.

Darrick (The Snake): Butch was a true 2 sides to every coin kind of guy. A master storyteller with an amazing memory. If you were just meeting him, you would assume he was just a comic goofball. But 10 minutes later after his story was over and lots of hand gestures and faces, he could be handed a bag of tools and build you a rocket ship. A plethora of knowledge and experience I was always in awe and jealous of his ability to do something once and then repeat the process again simply from memory. He left a huge void in our brotherhood. But we will fill that void with memories, stories, and the immense appreciation to have met such a bad ass dude. One of the saddest parts, if you’re reading this and didn’t know him, you missed out.

Dennis: I mostly remember his booming voice and laugh, no matter where I was I could hear him. He was truly everyone’s go-to guy. My last and most treasured memory of Butch was on my last day at Relay, he bought my lunch and wished me well on whatever was to come. He was good man and an incredible father. John (The Squirrel): When Butch suggested we all needed new names for our new department, we told him what we wanted and he either approved or denied our spirit animals. That day, the animal pack was formed. We all really miss him – who is going to yell at me and call me a dumbass? Squirrel out. Guys from Relay: Butch could come up with a plan of attack for all of us to follow. He kept our department flowing and alive. Not just the work itself, but all of us. We would have our weekly Monday morning conversations after every weekend and his comments had us rolling. He always had a funny ass comment. He could remember every character in the Marvel series so whenever someone didn’t know the back story he would step right in and tell us the history. He could recite lines in movies like crazy. He knew more than anyone. Autism doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a parent who doesn’t give up. Here are a few thoughts from Butch’s best buddy:

What would Dad always say? I love you, CJ What made Dad laugh? Stepbrothers! What was your favorite thing about hanging out with Dad and Mom? Ride in Jeep Truck, Draw Simpsons What was your favorite thing to do outside with Dad? Ride the Jeep Bike What kind of music did Dad like to listen to? Metallica, like Otto from the Simpsons What was the best part about Disney World? Toy Story Land What was Dad’s favorite movie to watch with you? End Game What was your favorite movie you saw with Dad? Toy Story 4 Did Dad remind you of anyone from a movie or show? Simpsons If you could go anywhere with Dad where would you go? Ride an RV to Florida What was a good day with Dad? Dad came home from work Favorite things: Jeeps, Trucks, texting Dad as Sammy Hagar If you could see Dad what would you say? I love you There will never be a day when we won’t think of you and wish you were by our side Butch Liebert will sadly be missed and forever remembered by his loving wife and best friend of 21 years, Stephanie; precious son Caleb Justin “CJ”; cherished by his proud parents Bruce and Cindy Liebert; and forever adored as the best big brother in the world by Alissa Liebert, and Matt Pittroff. Butch will always be lovingly remembered by his Aunts and Uncles; Sharon and Ron Bay, Sue and Mike Liebert, Jeff and Lauren Liebert; Cousins; Stacy Allen, and husband Thijs; Matt Bay, and wife Christa; Amanda Sabo, and husband Greg; Michael Liebert, and wife Alyssa; Charles Liebert, Alex Liebert, Drew Liebert. In-Laws; Darlene and Charlie Kus, Brother-In-Law Scott, and wife Carey; Sister-In-Law Stacey Howard, and husband Mike; Sister-in-Law Mandy Cloude, and husband Dave; Nieces and Nephews; Alyssa, Scottie, Bailey, Owen, Bea, Nate, Zoey, Brianna, Paige, Bradley, Nathan, and Bella; Team Poopypants, and a host of long-time friends. Memorial donations may be made to Pathfinders For Autism. Verizon has offered to fully match all donations. Please visit Pathfinders For Autism for details.

Butch Liebert Memorial Family Fund