Dick Rittelmann

P. Richard “Dick” Rittelmann passed away Sunday at the VNA Inpatient Hospice of Butler from pancreatic cancer.

Dick was born on Dec. 27, 1938, in Pittsburgh. He was the oldest of six children, the son of Col. Paul Rittelmann, former commissioner of the Pennsylvania State Police, and Louise Criste Rittelmann, a nurse.

A 1956 graduate of Butler High School, Dick was named a distinguished graduate of his alma mater in 1981. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic University on a Naval ROTC scholarship and was a member of the Lambda Chi Alpha Fraternity. While at RPI, Dick was a diver on the swimming team and a member of the Scarab and Tau Beta Pi honorary societies.

After graduating from Rensselaer in 1961 with a degree in architecture, Dick served as an officer in the U.S. Navy until 1964 as an engineering officer assigned to the World War II destroyer the USS Wiltsie (DD-716). He subsequently became chief engineer of eight destroyers in the U.S. Pacific Seventh Fleet at the age of 26.

Dick joined the small architectural firm of Howard, Burt & Hill in 1967 and became a partner in the firm a decade later. Upon his retirement as chairman of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates in 2006, he had overseen its expansion from a regional office of 12 people to a distinguished international firm of more than 1,200 architects and engineers with 10 domestic and three foreign offices. In 2006, BHKR was the 19th largest architectural engineering firm in the world.

Dick was well known for his keen intellect, voracious curiosity and intense, lifelong passion for learning fueled by his prodigious love of reading and extensive travel. He and his wife, Jane, traveled to all seven continents including numerous adventurous trips to Antarctica, the Galapagos, Africa, Macchu Piccu, China, India and Australia, in addition to those taken throughout Europe and the U.S.

A champion for numerous philanthropic causes, Dick gave generously of his time to several local and national organizations over the years as chairman of the research advisory board for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a member of the board of trustees for Rensselaer Polytechnic University, the Visiting Nurses Association of Western PA for which he helped plan and design its inpatient hospice facility and as a board of trustees member for the Butler County Community College, where he also taught a course in architecture.

In collaboration with his wife Jane, the Rittelmanns served for 10 years as the first co-chairs of the FAB Showcase fundraiser for Butler High School's Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, which raises thousands of dollars in scholarship money each spring. A gallery in the Butler Arts Center is also named for the Rittelmanns.

An artist and craftsman as well as an architect, Dick also enjoyed drawing, painting, singing and woodworking.

Dick is survived by his beloved wife of 53 years, Jane (Nicholas) Rittelmann; four children, Linda Rittelmann of Baltimore, Md., Bill (Debbie) Rittelmann of Butler, Carrie Semanco of Mars and Leesa Rittelmann of Fredonia, N.Y.; four grandchildren, Anja Semanco of Pittsburgh, Paige Rittelmann of Pittsburgh, Fontaine Rittelmann of Rochester, N.Y., and Aidan Semanco of Butler; sisters, Sandra (Mort) Rubin, Paulette Rittelmann and Karen (Tom) Weikert; and brother, David (Rita) Rittelmann.

Dick was preceded in death by his brother, Daniel (Ginny) Rittelmann.

RITTELMANN — No funeral arrangements are planned for P. Richard “Dick” Rittelmann, who died Sunday, May 10, 2015.Instead, a celebration of Dick Rittelmann's life will take place at 11 a.m. June 6 with a luncheon to follow at the Butler Country Club, 310 Country Club Road, Butler. Please see www.butlercc.org for information on the country club.Funeral arrangements are being handled by the GEIBEL FUNERAL HOME, Butler.The family has asked that in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Visiting Nurses Association of Western PA, 154 Hindman Road, Butler, PA, 16001 or to Butler County Community College, 107 College Drive, Butler, PA 16002