Well-known Butler architect Richard “Dick” Rittelmann, 77, died Sunday at the VNA Inpatient Hospice of Butler from pancreatic cancer.

He joined the small architectural firm of Howard, Burt & Hill in 1967 and became a partner a decade later.

Upon his retirement as chairman of Burt Hill Kosar Rittelmann Associates in 2006, he had overseen its expansion from a regional office of 12 people to an international firm of more than 1,200 architects and engineers with 10 domestic and three foreign offices.

Rittelmann volunteered to several local and national organizations over the years as chairman of the research advisory board for Oak Ridge National Laboratory, a board member for Rensselaer Polytechnic University, the Visiting Nurses Association of Western PA for which he helped plan and design its inpatient hospice facility and as a board member for the Butler County Community College, where he also taught a course in architecture.

In conjunction with his wife Jane, the Rittelmanns served for 10 years as the first co-chairs of the FAB Showcase fundraiser for Butler High School's Golden Tornado Scholastic Foundation, which raises thousands of dollars in scholarship money. A gallery in the Butler Arts Center is named for the Rittelmanns.

He was born on Dec. 27, 1938, in Pittsburgh.

A 1956 graduate of Butler High School, Rittelmann was named a distinguished graduate of his alma mater in 1981. He attended Rensselaer Polytechnic University on a Naval ROTC scholarship.

After graduating from Rensselaer in 1961 with a degree in architecture, he was an officer in the U.S. Navy until 1964 as an engineering officer assigned to the World War II destroyer the USS Wiltsie and became the chief engineer of eight destroyers in the U.S. Pacific Seventh Fleet at the age of 26.

He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Jane (Nicholas) Rittelmann, and other family members.

There are no funeral arrangements. Instead, a celebration of his life will take place June 6 at the Butler Country Club.