Comperatores dedicate statue to South Butler Community Library on day of Corey’s Cruise
SAXONBURG — Helen Comperatore said some of the greatest moments of peace she’s found in the last year have been from escaping into books, especially books about grief, after the death of her husband, Corey Comperatore.
“There’s nothing like a place to come and pick up a book and read in peace,” she said.
Former Buffalo Township fire chief Corey Comperatore was killed at then candidate President Donald Trump’s July 13, 2024, campaign rally at the Butler Farm Show grounds.
Following a brief morning parade in his honor down Saxonburg’s Main Street, almost a year after Corey’s death, Helen Comperatore and her two daughters, Kaylee and Allyson, unveiled a statue donated to the South Butler Community Library in front of a crowd of around 50 people.
“My husband would just be in awe of this,” said Helen Comperatore, fighting through tears, before her daughters unveiled the statue. “He was such a humble man. For someone who didn’t think he had friends in the world, this is just so much.”
The bronze statue depicts a boy and a girl reading. It was placed on a bookshelf just inside the library’s front door after the ceremony.
A second statue of Corey’s Buffalo Township fire uniform was also featured but would not remain at the library.
“It’s so hard for me to hold back the tears today for him because this is what I wanted for him,” Helen Comperatore said. “I wanted him to see that people cared and that he’s missed.”
The South Butler Community Library was the second stop for the Comperatores for Corey’s Cruise, which also featured a memorial motorcycle ride, live music and fireworks in Russellton. Before the dedication ceremony, the Comperatores rode through a brief morning parade down Saxonburg’s Main Street in Corey’s honor. They rode in a third-generation 1992 Ford Mustang LX convertible. The Fox-body car was Corey Comperatore’s favorite.
