Leigh Butgereit (CONTRIBUTED)

Why I Love This Town —

MADISON – Leigh Butgereit compares Madison to her hometown of Vestavia Hills, a suburb of Birmingham.

“The size may be the same, but people of Madison are much friendlier. It feels more like a community,” Leigh said.

“I love Madison because of the people that I know here. I love it because it holds our family’s memories. I love it because it’s an affordable place to live, in a beautiful area equally distant from the Gulf Coast or the mountains,” Leigh said.

She and husband Drew moved their family from Lexington, Ky. to Madison in 1993. The Department of Defense assigned Drew here while he was working for LOGSA.

“We originally chose Madison for the school system, which has provided our kids with an outstanding foundation to begin life. It was the right choice for us and continues to be even after the kids have moved on,” Leigh said.

Leigh has completed college study at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Texas A&M University and Calhoun Community College. She always has worked in office administration in various fields, most recently as human resources manager for a home care company.

Drew works as a mechanical engineer with Missile Defense Agency. The Butgereits’ children grew up in Madison City Schools. Ashleigh Harlow, a registered nurse, is a clinical instructor on Cardiac ICU at Children’s National Hospital in Washington D.C.; she and husband John live in Arlington, Va.

Robert Butgereit is a senior accounting major at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Mary Butgereit, an Auburn University sophomore, is majoring in English and professional writing with a minor in creative writing.

Photography is Leigh’s prime hobby. “I can spend hours taking pictures of things around me. I love nature, especially animals.”

“The special interest closest to my heart is educating people about autism and people on the autism spectrum,” Leigh said. She helped found a support group, Families for Early Autism Treatment with about 40 families that met monthly to share information among families with young children on the autism spectrum.

The Butgereits’ first choice for dining out is always Crickets. “Best wings in town,” Leigh said. “We also enjoy Guadalajara.”