Thomas J. Butler; eased Massport's dealings with public

A social worker by training and a son of South Boston, Mr. Butler tapped his working-class roots and his gift of gab to find common ground with Massport’s neighbors, as well as state power brokers.

“Although we were on different sides of the table, there was never any bad feeling between Tom and community advocates,’’ said Welch, whose battles with Logan International Airport predated Mr. Butler’s first days at Massport, beginning in 1987.

Mr. Butler, a well-known figure on Beacon Hill and an ardent volunteer for community causes in South Boston, died from leukemia Friday at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He was 59.

Mr. Butler came near death in 2007 when was struck by a taxi near his home in South Boston. He endured difficult rehabilitation and was walking without a cane by 2008.

Then he was diagnosed with cancer last year. His spirits remained high as he vowed to survive, telling people leukemia would be just another chapter in his life. He received a bone-marrow transplant from his sister, Donna.

“He loved South Boston and South Boston loved Tommy Butler,’’ said James Brett, president of the New England Council and a former state representative. “When we were kids, we all learned about the 10 Commandments . . . but I can’t think of anyone who lived the commandment ‘Love thy neighbor as thyself’ like Tommy.’’

Mr. Butler, who was a past president of the South Boston Citizens Association, was usually one of the first in town to ask, “What can I do?’’ when tragedy struck a family or a neighborhood cause appeared, according to Brett.

His compassion wasn’t just good politics, Brett said. “It was something in his DNA. He felt he needed to be a voice to help other people and he did that from a young age,’’ he said.

The peace Mr. Butler attempted to broker between Massport and neighboring communities came as the Port Authority engaged in the biggest building effort in its history.

“Tommy had a very difficult job to do reconciling the needs of this Authority and the traveling public with the legitimate concerns of surrounding communities [that were] asked to shoulder the burdens of our facilities and make sacrifices for the greater public good,’’ said Thomas J. Kinton Jr., Massport CEO and executive director.

“It was a job Tommy did brilliantly, never giving in when it came time to remind the community of the good that Massport did, or reminding Massport of our obligation to the local communities and their quality of life,’’ Kinton said.

Mr. Butler was closely involved in the transfer of the Tobin Bridge from Massport to the Massachusetts Department of Transportation and was a critical player in complicated negotiations between Massport, the City of Worcester, and the Federal Aviation Administration over Massport’s purchase of Worcester Regional Airport last year, according to Massport.

He also was remembered for his work in securing federal funding for soundproofing homes most affected by airplane noise.

“He probably had more fun doing hard work than anybody you could run into,’’ said John Cahill, who was an early mentor for Mr. Butler at Massport and is now vice chairman of O’Neill and Associates. “He just thoroughly enjoyed the task at hand and no matter how difficult the problem was . . . he just had great humor about it.’’

Cahill recalled how Mr. Butler called every week when Cahill’s late wife was enduring treatment for a brain tumor. He’d needle Cahill about something and tell a story to make his wife laugh. “He called distinctly to lighten things up,’’ Cahill said.

Mr. Butler was the youngest of seven children. His father, Daniel, drove a truck and his mother, Anna (Shaughnessy), lived to be 100.

He attended the John P. Bigelow Grammar School in South Boston, South Boston High School, and graduated from Boston State College in 1975.

“He was my little brother. My father wouldn’t let me take him on my honeymoon,’’ said his brother, Edward, who was 13 years older than Tom. “He was my pal when I came out of the Navy.’’

From an early age as a youngster at the Boys and Girls Club, Mr. Butler had a gift for winning friends and influencing people, his brother said. “He had the knack. Pretty soon I was asking him what he wanted me to do,’’ he said.

If someone didn’t like Mr. Butler, “he worked on you till you did,’’ he said.

In addition to his brother Edward of South Boston and his sister Donna Calnan of Quincy, Mr. Butler leaves his wife, Helen; their son, Thomas J. Jr.; and their daughter, Jillian A.

A funeral Mass will be said at 10 a.m. tomorrow in Gate of Heaven Church in South Boston. Burial will be in St. Joseph Cemetery in West Roxbury.