Ronald Rudy Butler
Agency patch
Deputy Sheriff

Ronald Rudy Butler

Bexar County Sheriff's Office — San Antonio, TX
Illness Veteran
End of Watch September 3, 2021
Age 56
Tour of Duty 31 yrs
The Vigil Panel 177 ›
Gender Male

Incident

Deputy Sheriff Ronald Butler died from complications as the result of contracting COVID-19 in the line of duty.

Deputy Butler was a United States Marine Corps veteran. He had served with the Bexar County Sheriff's Office for 31 years.

COVID-19 and Law Enforcement

Deputy Sheriff Ronald Rudy Butler died on September 3, 2021 of COVID-19 contracted in the line of duty. He was 56.

He is one of 884 officers honored here, and one of 2 at Bexar County Sheriff's Office.

Beginning in early 2020, law enforcement officers across the country contracted COVID-19 in the course of their duties. While much of the nation sheltered at home, they kept answering calls, making arrests, transporting prisoners, and working face to face with the public. There was no distance to be had from the job.

Corrections officers were hit hardest. Confined facilities and large populations meant constant, close, unavoidable exposure.

Survivors

Deputy Butler is survived by his wife and two daughters.

In Our Keeping

Permanent identifier
BO-US-TX-F3789EB3
Stewardship
Maintained by NeuraWeb Global Inc.
Added to badge.nw
April 2, 2026
Last updated
July 23, 2026

Honored here by 1 sentinel - 1 tribute.

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Tributes

The country locked its doors. You kept working.
Deputy Sheriff Butler gave the Bexar County Sheriff's Office 31 years.
Thank you for your service to the San Antonio community. Gone but never to be forgotten.
Rest easy, Deputy Sheriff Butler.

— S. Vincent Anthony, U.S. Army 1985-1993

Agency

Location San Antonio, TX
Platform Identity bcso.bexar.tx.us.gov.nw

Service Record

End of Watch September 3, 2021
Tour of Duty 31 yrs
Age 56
Gender Male

Incident Details

Cause Illness

Military Service

Ronald Rudy Butler served in the United States military before joining law enforcement. Full service record available on salute.nw.

Deputy Sheriff Ronald Rudy Butler is one of 2,974 officers lost to illness connected to their service across the full record of this memorial — 9.1% of all 32,508 officers honored here.

In TX, 204 of 2,421 officers were lost to illness connected to their service — 8.4% of this state's fallen. That is 0.7 percentage points below the national rate of 9.1%.

At Bexar County Sheriff's Office, 2 of 18 officers on record were lost to illness connected to their service — 11.1% of this agency's fallen.

Bexar County Sheriff's Office
2
of 18 officers
11.1% Illness
TX — Statewide
204
of 2,421 officers
8.4% Illness
Nationwide
2,974
of 32,508 officers
9.1% Illness

National Cause Distribution

How Illness compares to all causes of officer death in the memorial record. Ronald Rudy Butler's cause is highlighted.

Felonious
17,623 (54.2%)
Accident
10,088 (31%)
Illness
2,974 (9.1%)
Cardiac
1,306 (4%)
Undetermined
260 (0.8%)
Suicide
256 (0.8%)
vehicular
1 (0%)

How Ronald Rudy Butler Compares

Age at End of Watch
56
This officer
Avg for Illness: 47.8 years
Years of Service
31
This officer
Avg for Illness: 18.9 years

When Illness Deaths Occur

Monthly distribution of Illness deaths across the full memorial record. Ronald Rudy Butler is highlighted in Sep.

Jan
294
Feb
198
Mar
185
Apr
226
May
201
Jun
181
Jul
217
Aug
281
Sep
291
Oct
376
Nov
239
Dec
285

Incident Location