Creal Butters (Term of Office 1958 - 1964)
Creal lived in Denver until adulthood when he was married to Della Mae Bates in Brighton, Colorado. The couple moved to Illinois for several years where Creal was in business for himself as a tool and die maker in Evanston. The 1940 census listed his occupation as “musician.” Their son Lyle Dee was born in Chicago in 1943.
In 1947, the Butters family returned to Colorado and to Federal Heights where they operated Lombardi’s Night Club for three years and then purchased Tract 25 in North Federal Heights and built and operated the Del-Creal Lounge and Supper Club at 8980 Federal Boulevard. Their son attended Westminster High School and went on to the University of Colorado.
Creal and Della often hosted fundraisers and other events at their businesses - bingos, jamborees, dances, political events, Toastmaster Club meetings, banquets, “peppy” amateur shows and American Legion turkey raffles. Proceeds from coffee sales for the month of January, 1956 at Del-Creal were donated to the March of Dimes polio project. Creal often entertained guests with his “repertoire of magic tricks” and “popular magic acts.”
In 1948, one year after Creal moved to Federal Heights, he was elected to the Town Board, one of 11 candidates for the six seats on the Board. He was elected along with Mayor Robert E. Foster and Trustees Clarence Wilson, J.R. Klaiss, Stuard D. Savery, John R. Thomson and Ira Logsdon.
During Butters’ first year serving as a Trustee, the Federal Heights Town Board discussed extending its water main in every direction of the Town to new homes and businesses, but the financial condition of the Town could not allow the expense. The Town had $1,665.33 in the bank. The Board decided that anyone requiring water by the extension of the main or lead-in would pay all expenses of material and labor. Creal served on the Town Board for two years, 1948-1950, and did not run in the 1950 election.
In 1952, Creal was named an officer in the North Federal Heights Fire Department and made an unsuccessful bid for Town Board. In 1956, he ran again and was elected for a two-year term.
Sixth Mayor of Federal Heights
In 1958, Creal ran a successful Mayoral campaign, receiving 63 of the 103 votes cast, elected as the sixth Mayor of the Town of Federal Heights. He was sworn in with Town Board members Thornton Gray, Scott Wilson, Harold Jarman, Cecil White, Robert Jones and Robert Foster.
1958 - 1960
Butters ran for Mayor again in 1960 and defeated F.C. Wood. Board members Robert Foster, Thornton Gray, Stuart Savery, Cecil White, W.H. Harman, and Ben Gordon were also elected.
1960 - 1962
At the next Town election in 1962, Creal was again elected Mayor and sworn in on May 14, 1962 with Town Board members Thornton Gray, Dale Kennedy, Ben Gordon, Howard Skarka, Richard Smith and Ted Mueller. Mr. Mueller resigned on the night he was sworn in and Cecil White was appointed by the Board to fill the vacancy.
1962 - 1964
Creal’s fourth Mayoral bid in 1964 was unsuccessful. A total of 373 voters out of a possible 430 voters cast their ballot in the election, a nearly 87% voter turnout. Butters was defeated by Cecil Carstens, 191 votes to 180 votes.
During his time in Federal Heights, Butters saw the Town grow from 150 to 1,000 residents. He served four years on the Town board and six years as Mayor. He was involved in three annexations – two in 1961 and one in 1962 - which added considerable area to the Town and extended the town’s limits to 104th Avenue. He helped secure many major improvements for the Town including a sewage treatment system and was instrumental in reducing the Town’s mill levy from 38.7 mills to 7.8 mills.
On July 3, 1964, Creal was involved in an auto accident, and he died the following day. According to a newspaper story, Butters had just signed franchise paperwork for a car lot he was going to operate at 8950 Federal Boulevard. Creal is buried at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver.