Eric Werner

Eric Werner, 61, of Butler passed away peacefully Tuesday December 17, 2024 at Good Samaritan Hospice in Wexford surrounded by loving family after a hard fought battle with cancer. Born May 25,1963 in Butler, he was the son of the late Ervin and Norma Jean Werner (Raybuck). Eric was a 1981 graduate of Butler High School, a 1985 graduate of Duquesne University with a degree in Business and went on to work for Goettler Distributing as a Sales Manager for 35 years where he sold “the best beer brands in the world”. He was also a member of All Saints Parish in Butler. Eric was a caring, loving and generous man and will be remembered for his sense of humor and always finding a way to get a laugh out of others. He loved spending time with his family having dinner, playing cards and games with his grandchildren. He especially loved golf outings with his brothers and friends when he was able to chauffeur them in his beloved Lincoln Towncar. Eric loved studying maps in the Road Atlas, planning vacations and going on cruises.
Sports were always a huge part of Eric’s life starting at a young age and continued through high school where he played football, baseball and track and field. At age 15, Eric was the youngest and first pony league player to hit a homerun out of Pullman Park clearing the trees behind the left field fence. Eric received many coveted awards including Butler Cubs MVP award, Holiday Inn Defensive Player of the Year and the Jim McDowell Award. Following his senior season, he was named first team All-Mac Conference as a linebacker, first Post-Gazette North All-Star team and All-State Honorable Mention and six times player of the week. He was named co-MVP in his senior year as a catcher on the baseball team and was a member of the 1981 Section 2 AAA Championship Team. In college at Duquesne, he played as a linebacker, full back and catcher lettering three years in football and four years in baseball. He was named MVP of the baseball team his sophomore, junior and senior seasons and was named to the All-District football team as a fullback in 1983 and as a linebacker in 1984. Eric capped off an incredible career at Duquesne by being named MVP in both football and baseball as well as Male Athlete of the Year in 1985. In 2008, Eric was inducted into the Butler Area Sports Hall of Fame. There’s an old expression in sports – he is built like a tank. Eric Werner was the tank.
Surviving is his wife, Geralyn ‘Gen’ Werner of Butler, whom he married March 15, 2002. His son Luke (Alisa) Werner of Gibsonia, PA; stepson Tom (Amanda) Phillips of Vowinckel, PA; four grandchildren Thomas, Carter and Lincoln Phillips and Dilek Werner; six siblings: Linda (Harry) O’Donnell of Chicora; Cindy Stefanik of Butler; Carol (Ron) Weitzel of Butler; Brian (Brenda) Werner of Chicora; Mark (Jan) Werner of Butler; Gerard (Colleen) Werner of Butler and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews.
He is preceded in death by his parents Ervin and Norma Jean Werner, sister Connie Gannon, brother-in-law Barry Gannon, and brother-in-law Frank Stefanik.
Friends will be received at the Geibel Funeral Home, 201 East Cunningham Street, Butler, from 1-3 and 6-8 pm on Friday. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday, at 10:00 am, at St. Conrad Roman Catholic Church, 125 Buttercup Road in Meridian. Interment will follow in Butler County Memorial Park.