Michael Monday

A Butler native, resident and businessman known for his personal touch died Wednesday.

Michael Monday, 60, of Butler, co-owner of the former Monday's Shoes, died after a short illness.

“He is going to be greatly missed,” said family friend Sandy Protzman-Cook of Butler. “There's not going to be anybody else to fill his shoes. He was amazing.”

A 1979 graduate of Butler High School, Monday owned the third-generation shoe company with his cousin, Henry Monday.

The pair retired in December, closing the 110-year-old downtown storefront, but many people have fond memories of their patronage.

When the door opened, Michael looked at the feet, then at the person, and he saw everything he needed to know, according to his wife, Karen Monday.

“Michael loved talking to his customers,” Karen said. “They brightened his day and became friends to him. He loved coming home to tell me their stories.”

Karen recalled Michael telling stories about growing up and going to the store frequently. It wasn't always work. She said it's hard to imagine that it was punishment at the time, based on how much her husband loved his work.

Protzman-Cook said that, for Michael, the countless hours of watching his father and grandfather forged in him a great work ethic and a great mind for the business.

“He was like an artist,” Protzman-Cook said. “Michael could wait on three or four customers at one time and nobody waited.”

She said he especially showed children a great deal of respect and attention. He would perform magic tricks and joke with them as he measured their feet.

“When kids would come in, they would be so excited to have Mr. Monday measure their feet,” Protzman-Cook said. “They would run into the store like a candy store.”

Karen Monday said Michael left many of his customers with lifelong impressions.

“It always amazed Michael how far people would travel to come to his store,” she said. “Customers who moved away would make a special point to stop in.”

In the 1980s and early 1990s, Michael Monday was an active member of the Butler Downtown Association. It was through those events that he became friends with Protzman-Cook and her husband, who owned Lowal's, a women's clothing store.

Protzman-Cook said it was Michael's warm, steady and positive nature that drew many to him.

“We could have an outlook of rain for an event we were planning, and Michael would say, 'Don't worry about it. It's going to be perfect,'” she said.

Protzman-Cook said Michael felt blessed to be part of Butler's downtown community, and he often talked about wanting the downtown area to return to its golden days when businesses boomed.

“He loved the fellowship and the camaraderie of us all working together for our own business,” she said. “When we were working all together, we were like family.”

Protzman-Cook said beyond all else, Michael was fiercely devoted to his friends and family.

“That meant everything to him,” she said.