Mershimer

Donald Lee Mershimer, 84, of Slippery Rock Township, Butler County, passed away Monday at his daughter's home in Indianapolis after a four-month battle with cancer.

He was born on Aug. 3, 1929, to Charles Lee Mershimer and Mary Elizabeth Snyder Mershimer.

He married Harriet Regester Brinton of New Castle on April 17, 1948. She predeceased him in 2010.

He graduated from Slippery Rock High School. He was a Union carpenter and worked as a foreman and job superintendent until he opened his own construction company, D.L. Mershimer Construction Company. He owned the company for 20 years.

He took great pride in doing the historical restorations of the Stone House and the Johnson Tavern.

He was a member of Mahoning New Castle Masonic Lodge 0243, Syria Shrine and the Slippery Rock Sportsmen's Club, and was one of the founders of the Hunter Safety Association. He had been a volunteer firefighter and the president of the Slippery Rock Volunteer Fire Department. He was an active member of the Butler County Air Posse and enjoyed flying his Beechcraft Musketeer. He was active in the Shamrock Men's Golf League from 1992 through 2001. For more than 15 years he chaired the Butler County Property Tax Appeal Board.

From 1993 until March of 2008, he resided in Bay Indies in Venice, Fla., from October through March of each year.

His interests included hunting and taking hunting trips out west to wilderness areas. He was an excellent historian. He had a great love of children and loved to play with his grandchildren, great-grandchildren and many great-nieces and nephews.

He is survived by his daughter, Karen Bellinger of Indianapolis; his granddaughters, Sarah Bellinger and Laura (Brian) McIntire; his great-grandchildren, Chloe Bauer and Arianna, Braden and Lilyana Elizabeth McIntire of Indianapolis; and his siblings, twin brother Dale of Hermitage, Paul (Marguerite) of Slippery Rock and Georgia (Bernie) Bruns of Freedom. He is also survived by his 11 nieces and nephews and his many great-nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his siblings, Anna and Chuck Mershimer.

Mershimer— The friends of Donald Lee Mershimer, who passed away Monday, June 23, 2014, will be received from 5 to 8 p.m. Friday at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock.Additional visitation will be from 1 p.m. until time of service at 2 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home with the Rev. Dr. John C. Peterson, retired pastor of New Wilmington, officiating. Interment will follow at Slippery Rock Cemetery, Slippery Rock Township, Butler County.Memorial contributions may be made to the Butler VNA Hospice, which provided his wife, Harriet, with excellent care, or to Feed My Sheep Food Pantry of Slippery Rock.