Dr. Robert LeRoy Eisler, MD

Dr. Robert LeRoy Eisler, MD, 89, of Slippery Rock passed away at 4 p.m. Friday in the comfort of his home with family by his side.

Dr. Eisler was born Nov. 3, 1926, in Butler to the late Dr. William LeRoy Eisler and Carolyn Jane Black Eisler.

Dr. Eisler graduated from Butler High School in 1944. He was a World War II veteran. He served in the United States Navy and was designated as USNR-V6, holding the rank of aviation electronic technician's mate 3-C.

After being honorably discharged from the service, he attended Allegheny College, the Class of 1950. He earned his medical doctor's degree from the Pittsburgh University School of Medicine in 1955. He completed his residency in psychiatry at the Western Pennsylvania Psychiatric Institute and Clinic in 1959.

Dr. Eisler was the first Board-Certified psychiatrist in Butler County. He had practiced medicine for 60 years, one of the oldest practicing psychiatrists in America.

He loved his work. He practiced medicine in psychiatry in his private office in Butler from 1959 to 1970, then in Slippery Rock from 1983 to 2015.

He had followed his father's footsteps. His father, Dr. William L. Eisler, graduated from the Pittsburgh University School of Medicine, practiced medicine in Butler for 50 years, and he was the first official milk inspector in Butler County.

Dr. Eisler was a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Hawaii School of Medicine and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. In Dr. Eisler's office at Slippery Rock, he always had therapy dogs, Great Pyrenees. Daisy, Blossom, Snowball and Snowwhite, that worked hard in the office, and they loved people and liked to hug the patients. They will be remembered as well.

He was the co-founder and first medical director of the Irene Stacy Mental Health Clinic in Butler County. He was the chairman of Mental Health Services in Hawaii, chairman of Mental Health at the Geisinger Medical Center; chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee of Western Pennsylvania Psychiatric Association, chairman of the Total Access to Health Care Committee of WPPA, chairman of the Quality Improvement Committee of WPPA, chairman of the Education Committee of WPPA, chairman of Project 269 for single payer health care, and chairman of the Act 84 Task Force of WPPA, the Chief of Leeward Mental Health Center, Oahu, Hawaii, chairman of Executive Board, Mental Health Division of the Department of Health, State of Hawaii, chairman of the Division of Mental Health and director of the Community Mental Health Center for Columbia, Montour, Snyder, Union, and Northumberland counties at the Geisinger Medical Center, Danville, Pa., and the chairman of the Western Pennsylvania Society Peer Review Committee.

Dr. Eisler was the consulting psychiatrist to the Pennsylvania Armstrong County schools; the Youth Correctional Facility in Warrendale; George Junior Republic in Grove City; Butler Memorial Hospital; Butler Veterans Affairs Hospital; the Grove City Medical Center and the Northwest Medical Center-Franklin Campus in Franklin.

Dr. Eisler was a contracted psychiatrist for the State Regional Correctional Facility, Mercer, for 25 years. He treated his inmate patients humanely. He believed that the death penalty should be abolished in the American legal system.

Dr. Eisler was a member of the Pennsylvania Governor's Task Force on Drunken Driving and other Controlled Substances; a member of the Committee on Universal Access of Health Care of American Psychiatric Association; member of the Executive Committee of the Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society; member of the Steering Committee and Joint Health Task Force of the Physicians, Dentists and Optometrists Action Committee in coalition with 26 Hawaiian low income organizations and a member of the Mental Health Liaison Committee for seven counties of central Pennsylvania.

Dr. Eisler was the legislative representative for psychiatric physicians of the American Psychiatric Association from 1985 to 1992 and the legislative representative for the Hawaii Psychiatric Society from 1973 to 1975. Dr. Eisler was elected as the President of Western Pennsylvania Psychiatric Society in 1962, 1983, and 2003.

In 1994, he was received the prestigious Jack Wolford Award for Excellence in Psychiatry for his outstanding contributions to the field of mental health. Dr. Eisler was a Fellow (1974), Life Fellow (1991) and Distinguished Life Fellow (2003) of American Psychiatric Association.

Dr. Eisler had much been involved in the community. He was the president of Mental Health Association in Butler from 1961 to 1963, the president of Butler County Human Relations Association in 1963 and in 1979, a board member of Butler County Catholic Social Service, vice chairman and chairman of the Citizens Advisory Council Committee in Butler, chairman of the Child Welfare Formation Committee of Butler County, chairman of the Rotary Health and Safety Committee project on drunken driving deterrence through legislation statewide.

He belonged to Kiwanis for 10 years and to the Rotary for more than 50 years. He was the president of the Butler Rotary Club in 1985 and president of the Slippery Rock Rotary Club in 1992.

He was the founding chairman of Moraine, McConnell's Mill, Jennings Commission (3MJC), interested in developing a system to prevent pollution of Lake Arthur. He was the commander of American Legion Post 117 in Butler. He was very much opposed to the wars in Vietnam, Afghanistan and Iraq.

In 1979, Dr. Eisler was the chairman of “I Won't Start Smoking” project for Butler County Schools for Butler Rotary, Cancer Society, Heart Association, Christmas Seal League and March of Dimes. After three months of the campaign, more than 5,000 children from the second to fourth grades in Butler County had signed up for the “I Won't Start Smoking” project. Now, those children may have been benefited from the decisions made in their early ages.

Dr. Eisler was a Christian. He loved animals. He “admitted” numerous stray dogs and cats who showed up at the doorway of his house. He raised sheep, horses and ponies. Certainly, those animals will meet him at the other end of the rainbow. He enjoyed singing in the choir in Butler Covenant Presbyterian Church for 11 years. He had a nice bell tone.

In his later years, he enjoyed watching Joel Osteen's televised sermons on Sunday at home. He was a firefighter for Meridian Township when he was 16 years old. He enjoyed traveling, reading, classic music, playing violin, living in the woods and going horseback riding in the woods. He liked to make oil paintings of nature, animals and people. He architecturally designed his private office building.

Surviving are his wife, Qin Eisler, MD, PhD, and their son, Martin Eisler. His wife was a dedicated full-time caregiver and delivered high-standard care to him during his later years.

He also is survived by his other children, three daughters, Cari Eisler, Wendy Eisler and Milan Geritz, and one son, Robert C. Eisler; four grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son, William Jeffrey Eisler.

Dr. Eisler, a beautiful, intelligent, benevolent, and brave life, well lived.

EISLER — The family of Dr. Robert LeRoy Eisler, who died Friday, July 15, 2016, will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Smith Funeral Home, 421 New Castle St., Slippery Rock.Additional viewing will be from 10 a.m. until the funeral service at 11 a.m. Monday at the funeral home with the Rev. William Mumaw II, pastor of Center Presbyterian Church, presiding.Interment will be in North Side Cemetery in Butler.