W. "Butch" Zwick Leslie

Leslie W. ‶Butch″ Zwick, age 64, died peacefully at his home, Bent Tree Farms-1874 West Blaine Road in Ovid, on May 10, 2016, with his loving family by his side.

Butch was born to the late Leslie S. and Anna Henry Zwick on July 20, 1951. He grew up working the family farm until after its sale. Upon graduating from Mynderse Academy, Butch worked as a farmer, a mechanic, Goulds Pumps and for the Town of Fayette Highway Department, after leaving there, he was well known in construction trucking for Pedulla❜s, Dendis❜ and Gallaghan❜s. Over the road, he drove for All Island, Rauscher and John Saeli. Butch landed his dream job with the NYS Thruway Authority, Manchester Division, from where he retired as a Teamster. He truly loved trucking and snowplowing. Butch was ‶old school″ - he worked hard, loved hard and played hard.

He was loved by many and made friends wherever he went. Butch had a close knit circle of friends that he enjoyed fishing with, NASCAR racing and Empire Farm Days. At home, Butch loved his garden, tractors, NASCAR races, Busch Light and his family pets. He took great pride in his 10 acres and often worked areas for wildlife food. From his garage he watched the deer, pheasants and turkey on a regular basis. In his early years he enjoyed hunting, and later in life, fishing. Butch was a lifetime member of the MacDougall Sportsmen❜s Club and past member of the South Seneca Sportsmen❜s Club. Always willing to help, he has volunteered many hours, while having a good time at both places. One of his greatest loves was working on demolition derby cars. It was a family tradition and Butch took great pride in helping and sponsoring Ben❜s cars. His favorite part was the paint job. So much so that he painted many cars for other derby drivers. They had to ‶shine″..he was even known to wax Ben❜s cars, just before a show. Butch was always there to help family and friends. There are many stories that can be shared about his life and years. Some of them were hard, but most were happy times.

Butch is survived by his loving and devoted wife Peggy for the last 33 years. He leaves behind his step daughter, Jennifer (Martin) Wagner, his stepson Ben (Stacey) Haust and his three grand children, Hunter and Sydney Haust and Meghan Wagner, who were his pride and joy. A special thank you to Paul, Donny, Ray, Mike, Dale and Bob B. for the continuous support during the later stages of his illness. Butch would love to be remembered as having gotten the checkered flag after ‶ONE RUN AND DONE″!

The family will be present to receive friends at Covert Funeral Home, 7199 South Main Street in Ovid, on Monday, May 16, 2016 from Noon to 2:00pm. A memorial service to celebrate Butch❜s life will then be held at 2:00pm, officiated by Pastor Steven Beals of the West Fayette Presbyterian Church. At the family❜s request, in lieu of flowers, kindly consider a donation to your local 4-H chapter, Mynderse Academy Basketball or the Fetch a Friend Animal Rescue.