By Carlisle Jno Baptiste
The Catholic Church of the Shrine of Our Lady of Salette in Pointe Michel was packed to capacity. Many found space on the upper-level grounds of the St. Luke’s Primary School where a tent and a big screen television were erected.
Others took solace at the front of the church under a tent where another television screen was erected to view the funeral mass. Some cried openly as the casket with his mortal remains was lowered into the tomb.
His funeral was attended by government ministers, footballers, staff past and present, and many others. He was laid to rest in the tomb of his late mother, Janet Peters, at the Catholic Cemetery in his home village of Pointe Michel.
A sportsman, a father, a businessman, an entrepreneur, a politician, and a community man.
Farewell Butler, you have lived the life…your work on earth is now done, and you have gone to meet your Maker.
As the Pilgrim song says, “Man is lonely by birth, man is only a pilgrim on earth, born to be king, time is but a temporary thing, only on loan while on earth.
Your pilgrimage here on earth has ended. Rest in Eternal Peace!
Below is a summary of a eulogy found in the funeral booklet
A life of heart, humility, and service
Ian was a man whose life was not about titles, positions, or recognition; it was always about people. From the humbling beginnings in Pointe Michel, he grew into someone whose heart remained deeply connected to others. Those early years shaped him, teaching him the value of unity, resilience, and compassion. He carried those values with him throughout his life.
Even as a young man, he felt a calling to serve, and in his late teenage years, he considered becoming a priest, a reflection of his deep faith and strong values, and also his sincere desire to dedicate his life to helping others. Though his path took a different direction, that calling never left him. It simply revealed itself in the way he lived, the way he led, and the way he loved.
He also believed that leadership was not about authority, but about service, and never saw himself as above anyone, but stood alongside people. He listened more than he spoke and treated everyone with dignity and respect, whether in his professional life, his community or his service to the country, and also led with a quiet strength and genuine care for others.
Ian often said that his purpose in life was to help people, nothing more, nothing less, and that was not just something he said; he lived for it. He had a big heart…his humility was one of his greatest strengths, and he was a man who embraced life fully.
Ian lived simply, he loved deeply, and gave without measure, and in doing so, he touched countless lives more than we may ever fully know.
The life he lived challenges us to do more, to love more, and to serve more with humility.
Although he is no longer with us in the physical sense, his spirit remains and lives on in his children, family, community, and in every life that he touched.
And so, we do not just say goodbye, we say thank you. Thank you for love, for the lessons, and for the examples taught.
May we honour Ian not just with words but with our lives by loving more deeply, giving more freely, and serving others wholeheartedly, because that is how Ian lived and that is how he will be remembered.