Richard "Rick" Slaughenhaupt, age 65, of Butler, passed away Wednesday, February 14, 2018, after a fearless battle with lung cancer.

Born October 27, 1952 in Shippenville, PA, he was the son of Jessie V. Servey Slaughenhaupt Hartzell and the stepson of Wilfred "Mex" I. Hartzell.

Rick graduated in 1970 from Keystone High School in Knox.

He started his work career at Knox Glass Containers in Knox.  He later moved to Sarver and worked for Penn Allegh Coal Company. He later built a home in Butler and worked for J. D. Miller and Son Construction. He retired from Penn United Carbide in Saxonburg in May, 2016.

Rick's favorite pastimes were watching football or helping anyone doing a home improvement project. He enjoyed mowing grass and digging projects with his New Holland tractors. Rick also enjoyed gardening and helping his wife can vegetables that they had grown.  He enjoyed deer hunting and loved Ford trucks.  At Christmas, Rick baked excellent Christmas cookies.  He also enjoyed spending time with his grandson and granddaughter and taking the whole family to the family farm for the weekends.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Sara Jane (Hale) Slaughenhaupt; his daughter and son-in-law, Crystal and Walt Neubauer of Butler; his son, Matthew Slaughenhaupt of Butler; and his grandchildren, Colin and Riley Neubauer.

He is also survived by two sisters, Helen (Daryl) Wetzel, of Knox, PA, and Mary (John) Keister of Venus, PA.; his mother-in-law, Geraldine E. (Confer) Hale, of Oil City; his brother-in-law Thomas (Sam) Hale, Jr., of Oil City; and several nieces and nephews.

Rick was preceded in death by his mother, Jessie Hartzell; his stepfather, Wilfred "Mex" I. Hartzell; and his father-in-law, Thomas S. Hale, Sr.

Friends will be received in the Martin Funeral Home, Inc., 429 Center Avenue, Butler, on Friday from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m.

Services and burial will be held at the convenience of the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Good Samaritan Hospice of Cabot  or to the American Cancer Society.