Richard Ward Givan
Richard Ward Givan, 62, beloved husband of Diane, went to be with the Lord on Saturday. Rick died at Good Samaritan Hospice, Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Cabot after a 6-year struggle with lung cancer. Born Nov. 21, 1945, in Pittsburgh, a beloved son of Ward and Trudie Givan.
He earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in drama from Washington State University and lived for a time in San Francisco and Lake Tahoe before serving in the Teacher Corps in 1968 in Pittsburgh teaching English at Westinghouse High School, where he met Diane Dubensky, who became his wife on June 21, 1969. Rick obtained his Masters of Arts in Teaching in 1970 from the University of Pittsburgh and his Juris Doctor Degree in 1975 from Duquesne School of Law.
Rick and Diane moved to Butler, where he began his legal career as an Assistant District Attorney under John Brydon. Subsequently, Rick practiced law with the late Tom Kiermer in Saxonburg and in 1982 began a 25-year law practice association with Gwilym Price. In his private practice, Rick served as solicitor for many municipalities and organizations as well as handling many cases of note. He was particularly proud to have handled the litigation in the South Butler School District strike where school strikes were declared unconstitutional resulting in significant legislative reform.
Rick also served as Mediator in Family Law for the Butler County Court of Common Pleas, where he brought his "non-anxious" presence to emotionally charged custody disputes. He was a leader in bringing alternative dispute resolution methods and practices to the Butler community. He saw his role as a lawyer to bring reconciliation and healing to individuals involved in adversarial legal disputes and was a founding member of Christian Conciliation Service in Butler. He was a member of the Christian Legal Society.
Rick's deep Christian faith lead him to involvement in many public ministries and community services too numerous to list. Of particular note, he was a tireless advocate for the rights of the unborn and served for 7 years as President of Lifeline. He helped to found the Butler County Chapter of Habitat for Humanity and was actively involved with Butler County Citizens for Decency.
Rick's Christianity colored all that he did. He lived out his faith in every aspect of his public and private life. His non-judgmental way of sharing his faith impacted many lives. He was a devote Catholic and member of St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Cabot, where he served in many capacities and was a lector and a long-time youth leader.
Rick was actively involved in the Charismatic Renewal. He was a Vice Minister of Mary Queen of Franciscans and a regional officer of the Secular Franciscan Order, Lady of Poverty District. As a Secular Franciscan, Rick devoted himself to the daily renewal of his spiritual pilgrimage.
Rick never lost touch with his early years as part of the Haight-Ashbury counterculture of the 60s. His encyclopedic knowledge of rock music and other trivia was a constant source of fascination to his friends. Robert Kennedy was one of his heroes from whom he derived his strong sense of social justice and activism.
Rick loved baseball and was a student of history and politics. He was widely and well read. Writing Poetry and essays was a significant part of Rick's spiritual journey, a collection of which he recently published under the title "Peeling the Onion: Musings of a Franciscan Lawyer."
Rick and Diane enjoyed a loving marriage of deep devotion to one another. Rick's extended family was very important to him and he maintained lifelong relationships with childhood and distant friends.
His wife, Diane, survives him. Also surviving is his brother, Jake Givan of Benton City, Wash.; and his sister, Pamela Mac Laren of Bremerton, Wash. Several nieces and nephews also survive him.
<B>GIVAN</B> — Friends of Richard Ward Givan, who died Saturday, Jan. 5, 2008, will be received from 5 to 9 p.m. today at the <B>Geibel Funeral Home</B>, 201 E. Cunningham St. A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at 10 a.m. Tuesday at St. Joseph Roman Catholic Church in Cabot with the Rev. Lester Knoll, O.F.M. Cap., officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary Cemetery in Herman.In lieu of flowers, Diane would like memorial donations be made to the donor's favorite charity.Information also is available at www.geibelfuneralhome.com.
