Many prominent residents left lasting legacy
While 2022 had its happy and notable occasions, the county also said goodbye to prominent residents whose many and varied achievements will not soon be forgotten.
In January, Bill Green, a Butler native who served as a Boy Scout leader, died at age 76.
Green served as spokesman for Dick Thornburgh when he was governor and again when Thornburgh was appointed U.S. Attorney General under Presidents Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.
Green’s name became well-known on a national level during the partial meltdown at Three Mile Island in 1979, as he gave out information to reporters as Thornburgh’s spokesman.
A woman whose name is synonymous with the nursing profession and symphony orchestra music in Butler County died on March 20th at age 96.
Janice Phillips Larrick, who graduated from the Butler County Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in 1946 and became a nursing co-supervisor at the hospital, established an endowed scholarship for the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health, donated $50,000 for a simulated laboratory for the nursing program and, in 2017, provided a $1 million gift to the BC3 Education Foundation.
The $1 million gift was made in memory of her late husband, Victor K. Phillips, and is being used to help fund construction of the Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health Building. Construction is underway on the main campus in Butler Township.
"She loved BC3, specifically the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health and, more specifically, our students," said Nick Neupauer, BC3 president.
March also saw the death of Charlie Stitt, a retired Armco executive whose friends referred to as “a selfless servant of God.”
Stitt, 85, and his late wife went on mission trips to the Middle East to assist with humanitarian projects in depressed areas. He drove the less fortunate in Butler County to countless doctor’s appointments, even in his 80s.
Stitt served many years on the Butler County Symphony Orchestra board of directors and Friends of the Symphony and helped raise significant funds for the symphony over the decades.
March also saw the death of prominent insurance agency owner, Ron West, 76.
West, who owned and operated the West Agency in Butler Township, was a Vietnam veteran who suffered three bouts of cancer due to exposure to Agent Orange in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
West, who was a friend to many, was known for his giving nature and lifelong love of golf.
In early May, friends said farewell to Charles Timothy “Tim” Shaffer, who died at age 76.
Shaffer was a Vietnam veteran and four-term state senator whose district encompassed parts of Butler, Lawrence and Venango counties and all of Clarion County.
Shaffer served five years as a district judge in Slippery Rock after his career in Harrisburg, and the $1 million he donated to Butler County Community College in 2018 established the Shaffer School of Nursing and Allied Health that will operate in the new $10 million Victor K. Phillips Nursing and Allied Health building.
Friends described Shaffer as a generous person who cared about his hometown and a savvy political strategist.
A violent car crash in June at Route 8 and Airport Road in Penn Township tragically took the life of Ed Shields, a venerated and well-respected Realtor in the county.
Shields’ colleagues said he was a wealth of knowledge regarding real estate and real estate law.
He was described by those who loved him as cheerful and helpful and a man who enjoyed spending time with his family and playing golf.
Dick Hadley, a strong presence as a supervisor in Cranberry Township for more than two decades, died in August at age 71.
Hadley was elected to the Cranberry Township board of supervisors in 1995 and presided over the township through its years of growth, development and evolution.
Hadley, a Republican, was a leader across a plethora of local and state organizations and a mentor to many current Cranberry Township leaders.
Another local politician, state Rep. Jeff Pyle, died in September at age 58 after a 17-year battle with cancer.
Pyle was a key player in creating Butler County Community College's new BC3@Armstrong campus at the site of the high school where he studied and taught.
State Rep. Marci Mustello, R-11, said Pyle was proud to represent the people of his district.
“I would say his number one priority when he was under the dome of the Capitol was his district and his constituents,” she said. “He had an uncanny ability to cut through the nonsense by making people laugh in tense situations. He was a larger-than-life character and will be sadly missed in Harrisburg.”
Butler native, fitness legend and world record holder Paul Gaudino, 87, also died in September after a life spent encouraging people to get moving.
Gaudino began his fitness career as an instructor at the Butler County YMCA, then moved on to filming a half-hour family fitness show at St. Fidelis Seminary in Herman.
Gaudino led his viewers in their workouts for four decades, and earned the Guiness World Records for hosting the longest-running fitness show on television. Gaudino continued hosting fitness sessions on YouTube and Facebook after his retirement at age 80.
November saw the passing of Harold Kennedy, 85, who served on the board of directors at the Big Butler Fair and the Adams Township Water Authority, as an Adams Township supervisor, as a deputy for the Pennsylvania Game Commission and as treasurer of the Breakneck Creek Regional Authority.
Kennedy’s passion was working with animals and agriculture, which was evidenced by his work with Future Farmers of America and 4-H youth.
Kennedy coordinated the Butler Fair Queen pageant at the Big Butler Fair for 18 years, and played an active role in the Butler Farm Show livestock sale, in which young farmers participated.
The Butler Eagle suffered its own heart-wrenching loss in December, when longtime sales executive John Baker, 61, died after fighting a short, yet aggressive illness.
“Bake,” as he was affectionately known by his co-workers and clients in the downtown Butler area, was an avid golfer and runner.
He was known for his straightforward style and quick wit, and became fast friends with many of his clients who advertised in the pages of the Butler Eagle.
This article was revised Monday, Jan. 2 to include two additional names.
