Butler high open for support this summer following student death
Levi Deal was a rising senior at Butler Senior High School, having just completed 11th grade when he died in a car crash Saturday night, June 8, in Crawford County.
He was 17 years old.
Born on Oct. 14, 2006 to Bennett and Rebecca Deal, Levi worked along side his father at Fire-n-Ice Heating and also enjoyed working on vehicles.
When he was not working, Levi enjoyed hunting, fishing and hanging out with his friends including his dog, Demon — who was his best friend — and his cat, Kit Kat.
Mourners paid their respects to Levi’s family and the other two people who died in the single-vehicle crash, Ronald “Ronnie” Parisi, of Chicora, and Joshua Boettner, of Butler, on Sunday evening at Christ’s Family Church in Chicora.
Parisi and Boettner were graduates of Butler Senior High School.
Among the first to arrive at the church was Kara Sroka, a special education teacher at Butler Senior High School.
She said she met Levi within her “first five minutes at the intermediate school,” and she got to know his character and how he interacted with other students and teachers in their time there.
Sroka said at the vigil the school would offer support to students in need of emotional or mental help, even though the district is on summer vacation.
“It doesn’t matter that it’s summer vacation, if you need us we’ll have you,” Sroka said. “It doesn’t matter what time of day; if you need us, we are here. I know it’s going to be hard because we’re not at school, and that it’s summer, but it’s that we’re here for each other.”
Sroka said students or their guardians can call Butler Senior High School for support, if needed. The number for the main office is 724-214-3200.
The funeral service for family and friends will be held Thursday, June 13, from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 5 to 8 p.m. at the Spencer D. Geibel Funeral Home at 140 New Castle Road in Butler. The Burial will be held at Butler County Memorial Park Cemetery at 10 a.m. on Friday, June 14, 2024.
