Rifleman Edward Robert Butler was born on May 17th, 1923, to the late Arthur Robert Butler and Lydia Emilia Cass in Chatham, Kent, England. He immigrated to Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1930 at the age of 7 with his mother and brother, James Arthur Butler, joining their father who had moved to Toronto in the years prior. After arriving in Toronto, their family grew to include two more sons, William Thomas Butler and Bruce David Butler.

In his late teens, Edward enlisted in the military and went on to join the Queens Own Rifles of Canada, B Company. On June 6, 1944, he bravely fought in the first wave of troops on Juno Beach in Normandy, France. After sustaining injuries during battle, he was cared for at what is now known as Canada House on Juno Beach before being transferred to England, then back home to Toronto.

On June 16, 1945, Edward married his dear “Bess”, Bessie Ellen Sophia Leeds, whom he had known since childhood. They went on to have two daughters, Diana Lynn in 1946 and Lenora Alice in 1954. He proudly worked as a carpenter for the Robert Simpson Company for many decades and enjoyed coming home to his family at Frenchman’s Bay where fishing, skating and spending time with his Bess, Diana and Lenora were the highlights of his days.

On the morning of February 23, 2022, Edward passed away in his sleep at the Lakeridge Health Hospital in Bowmanville, Ontario, Canada.

He is buried in the Erskine Cemetery in Pickering, Ontario.