McCandless

Richard Lee McCandless, 73, of Cape Coral, Fla., formerly of Butler and DuBois, died Tuesday evening at his home in Cape Coral after a battle with cancer.

Born in Pittsburgh, May 30, 1934, he was the son of Lee and Zella McCandless of Butler.

Raised in Butler, he graduated from Butler High School in 1951. He graduated from Haverford College in 1955 and Dickenson School of Law in 1960.

Mr. McCandless was a member of the Pennsylvania Bar Association from 1960 to 2006 and retired from Dillon, McCandless, King, Coulter and Graham, LLP. He was a member of Courts of Butler County and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court beginning in 1960. He was the treasurer and chairman of the Ethics Committee for the Butler County Bar Association, 1964-1969.

He was an active member of the Butler Elks Lodge 170, became grand exalted ruler for 1966-1967 and district deputy grand exalted ruler for the Western District of Pennsylvania Elks in 1970. He was honored as "Elk of the Year" in 1967-68 and accepted the position of state chairman of the Cerebral Palsy Fund Raising Committee in 1969.

A member of the Butler County Fair and Agriculture Association, 1974-1988, and the U.S. Trotting Association from 1970-2002, he was an avid harness racing fan.

He was a member of the Fraternal Order of Police, Victory Lodge 694, New Castle Consistory and the Syria Shriners.

His other lifelong hobby was golf, being a member of the Treasure Lake Golf Association, 1986–2004, DuBois; and the Cypress Lake Country Club, 1999–2007, Fort Myers, Fla.

Mr. McCandless was celebrated in Community Leaders of America in 1971 and in Who's Who East in both 1970 and 1975.

Upon retirement, he lived on Sanibel Island and later Fort Myers. He was a member of the Cape Coral First United Methodist Church for the past three years. He also spent a great deal of time in the summer at his home on Treasure Lake in Du Bois.

His life's accomplishments are only surpassed by his unending love and support of his two daughters and their families, and his inspirational zest for living throughout his battle with cancer.

He is survived by his wife, Pat McCandless; two daughters and sons-in-law, Mary Jo and Scott Burkholder of Cranberry Township and Beth Ann and Albert Karadeema of Jacksonville, Fla.; three grandchildren, Joshua and Rebekah Karadeema and Krystal Burkholder; three stepchildren and their spouses, Kathy and Steve Bystrom, Eric and Cheryl Miller and Debi and Steve Holzhauer; his first wife, Edith McCandless of Renfrew; and a sister, Kaye McCandless Ryan of Hudson, Ohio.

<B>MCCANDLESS </B>— A private memorial service for Richard Lee McCandless, who died Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2008, will be held at the convenience of the immediate family in Cape Coral later.Donations may be made to the Lee C. and Zella W. McCandless '23 Scholarship Fund, Grove City College, 100 Campus Drive, Grove City, PA 16127; the Elks National Home, 931 Ashland Ave., Bedford, VA 24523; or the Butler County Bar Association, 201 S. Main St., Suite 101, Butler, PA 16001.Information was submitted by <B>Young Funeral Home</B>, and also is available at www.youngfuneralhomes.com.