Richard G. Staudacher

Richard G. Staudacher, age 85, of Valencia, passed away on Saturday evening, March 21, 2026 in the comfort of his home with his wife by his side.

In his own words…

How long have you been volunteering? I started taking courses for Master Gardener certification in 2011 and that’s when I became a Phipps volunteer.

What is your professional background?

My professional background is inarchitectural engineering and I worked with numerous private consulting firms over the course of my career and held titles of Senior Mechanical Designer and Vice President. Essentially, if things ever went wrong, I was the guy to blame (not that anything ever “went wrong”). I retired from engineering in October 2010 and I knew when I retired that I really liked engineering, but I didn’t want to do it anymore. I wanted a second career – and I decided it would be learning as much as I can about horticulture. I’ve always had raised beds, berries, and fruit trees. My garden was part of the Zelienople tour of historic home gardens before. I do find though, that the more education I get, the more I find out I don’t know!

What areas do you volunteer in?

I have volunteered with Science Education summer camps for the last 3 years. I volunteer at Discovery stations and for special events like Halloween Happenings and New Year’s Eve. I also volunteer in Horticulture and for the last 2 years I have assisted with plant propagation for the Discovery pot-a-plant activity.

What impact has volunteering at Phipps made on you?

I’ve been a member of Phipps for years, but volunteering gives me a greater appreciation for everything that Phipps does. It’s my goal to volunteer 103 hours, and this year I’m up to 91 hours, so I think I’ll make my goal again! Well, I volunteer every other Monday in the greenhouse, and it is so pleasant; there are so many nice people. Everyone is always so welcoming and always says thank you. I will always remember Scott Creary explaining that the silk in corn need to be pollinated for corn to develop and the ingenuity of using a long stick with a fork attached to the end to use as a tiny rake in the Garden Railroad display. Also, the summer camps. It is just fun being with the little ones! The 6-7 year old age group is full of questions and the knowledge that comes out of them surprises you. I remember volunteering for a “Fairytale Forest” camp in the outdoor garden when a child asked “What are fairies, nocturnal?” It shocked me – I’m sure I didn’t know the meaning of “nocturnal” when I was that age.

Do you volunteer at any other organization?

I volunteer at St. Ferdinand’s in Cranberry assisting my wife with the kindergarten class on Sunday mornings. I also help with potting pansy plants for them every spring.

Richard was born on September 5, 1940 in Pittsburgh, son of the late George and Margaret Pollock Staudacher.

He was an Architectural Design Engineer and had served as a Sargeant in the United States Marine Corp.

He was a member of St. Mark the Evangelist Parish at St. Kilian Church.

Surviving are his wife, Lillian Socci Staudacher, his son, Michael Staudacher (Wendy), his son-in-law, Leroy Bradford, 6 grandchildren, 10 great grandchildren and a brother, John Staudacher (Ruth).

He was preceded in death by his first wife, Barbara Miller Staudacher, his daughter, Barbara Staudacher Bradford, his sister, Margaret Chicka and his brother, George Staudacher.

Friends will be received at the McDonald-Aeberli Funeral Home, Inc. 238 Crowe Ave. Mars, Pa on Monday, March 23 from 6-8 PM. Mass of Christian Burial in St. Kilian Church, 7076 Franklin Rd. Cranberry Twp., PA 16066 on Tuesday, March 24 at 12:00 Noon. Please meet at the church. Entombment will be in the Mausoleum at Christ Our Redeemer Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory may be made to Good Samaritan Hospice, 116 Browns Hill Rd. Valencia, PA 16059 or to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital at stjude.org. Directions and condolences are available at www.mcdonald-aeberli.com.