Ralph M. Weaver, M.D., 88, of Butler passed away peacefully Saturday evening at the Sunnyview Nursing and Rehabilitation Center following a short illness.

He was born March 12, 1920, in Philadelphia, and he was the son of Ralph and Lucy Roland Weaver. He was raised in Gettysburg.

Dr. Weaver was a Lutheran.

He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and the School of Medicine, where he received his A.B. in 1941 and his M.D. in 1944. He was a charter member of the Academy of the University of Pennsylvania. He was an active alumnus of his medical school, where he established the Dr. Ralph and Sallie Weaver Professorship in Research Medicine and funded it with a $1 million donation.

Dr. Weaver served with the U.S. Army as a Medical Corps officer with the First Infantry Division in the European theater during World War II, where he specialized in pathology.

Dr. Weaver moved to Butler in 1952, where he continued and fulfilled his life with his career in the medical field. He was affiliated with the Butler Memorial Hospital medical staff. He started as the director of laboratories, then consulted in pathology and was on the emeritus staff. He also was a consultant in pathology to the Butler Veterans Affairs Medical Center for 20 years.

He was a member of the American Medical Association, the Pennsylvania Medical Society, the College of American Pathologists and the Butler County Medical Society.

Dr. Weaver enjoyed being active in the Butler community. He belonged to the American Cancer Society, where he was on the board of directors and a past president. He served as a vice chairman on the Mental Health and Retardation Advisory Committee. He served on the emeritus staff of Butler Memorial Hospital and he was a trustee for the Butler Health System Foundation.

Dr. Weaver was preceded in death by his wife, Sallie McCauley Weaver, who passed away Dec. 25, 2000.

He is survived by several cousins.

<B>WEAVER</B> — Visitation for Dr. Ralph Weaver, who passed away Saturday, Oct. 25, 2008, will be from 4 to 7 p.m. Wednesday at the <B>Martin Funeral Home</B>, 429 Center Ave. Dr. Weaver will be entombed by his wife at Sylvan Abbey Memorial Park in Clearwater, Fla., later.Memorial contributions can be made to the Butler Area Public Library, 218 N. McKean St., Butler, PA 16001; Community Health Clinic of Butler County, 103 Bonnie Drive P.O. Box 2339, Butler, PA 16003-2339 or the Butler Health System Foundation, 911 E. Brady St., Butler, PA 16001.Funeral arrangements are being handled by the <B>Edward L. Raisley Funeral Home</B>. For more information or to leave online condolences, go to www.raisleyfuneralhome.com.