Keith LaVerne Oesterling, 81, of Butler and of Port Ritchey, Fla., died at 11:05 p.m. Friday at the Butler Memorial Hospital.

Born March 29, 1924, in McKees Rocks, he was the son of Leland William and Marcella Grabe Oesterling.

He belonged to St. John's Lutheran Church in Connoquenessing and to the All Saints Lutheran Church in Hudson, Fla. He also was a member of the Masonic Lodge 694, the New Castle Scottish Rite, the Syria Temple and the Buco Trailer Club.

Mr. Oesterling retired as a grinder at Armco-Butler Works after 30 years, and he had also owned and operated his own backhoe. He was a former Pennsylvania sewage enforcement officer and a former Jefferson Township supervisor.

He was a World War II Army veteran.

His interests included playing card games, fishing, tending his citrus garden in Florida, reading, recycling papers for his church and listening to gospel music, hymns and marches. He especially enjoyed visits with his family and friends.

Surviving are his wife, Edith I. Protzman Oesterling, whom he married Sept. 11, 1946; three daughters and sons-in-law, Linda and Gregory Hess of Valencia and Mrs. Nancy and John Atwell and Laura and Walter L. Miller, both of Butler; a son and his wife, Bruce LaVerne and Cheryl Oesterling of Richmond, Ind.; seven grandchildren, Dr. Kelsie Bernot and her husband, John, of Laurel, Md., Suzanne Atwell of Butler, Nicole Stults and her husband, Dr. Daniel, of Richmond, Keith Atwell and his wife, Isabela, of Sickleville, N.J., Aubrie Reedy and her husband, Jason, of Fort Collins, Colo., and Nathan Oesterling and his wife, Carrie and Katie Evans and her husband, Chad, both of Richmond; and five great-grandchildren, Kyler and Braeden Oesterling and Madeline and Hudson Stults, all of Richmond and Lacey Reedy of Fort Collins.

He also is survived by six sisters, Mrs. Kenneth (Janice) Fry, Mrs. Wayne (Evelyn) Cypher, Mrs. Donald (N. Carol) Greenwalt and Karen Mulligan, all of Butler, Mrs. Eleanor England of Orlando, Fla., and Mrs. George (Kay) Kuhn of Howell, Mich.; and three brothers, William Oesterling of Trenton, Mo. Charles Oesterling of Butler and Ronald Oesterling of Warren, Mich.

Two sisters, Doris and Leah, preceded him in death.

OESTERLING — Friends of Keith LaVerne Oesterling, who died Friday, Nov. 4, 2005, will be received from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. today at the YOUNG FUNERAL HOME, 127 W. Jefferson St. Services will be at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday at the funeral home. Burial will be at the Gruenwald Cemetery, Summit Township.Graveside military honors will be provided by VFW Post 249.Memorial contributions may be made to All Saints Lutheran Church, 9525 Hudson Ave., Hudson, FL 34667; St. John's Lutheran Church, Main Street, Connoquenessing, PA 16027; or St. Luke Lutheran Church, 330 Hannahstown Road, Cabot, PA 16023.Information also is available at www.youngfuneralhomes.com.