Richard C. “Dick” Stroup

Richard C. “Dick” Stroup, 92, of Chicora, passed away late Wednesday evening, October 22, 2025, at Concordia Lutheran Ministries in Cabot while surrounded by his loving family.  

Richard was born near Hooker, Fairview Township on September 5, 1933. He was the son of the late Samuel Vance and Alice Belle Riggle Stroup.

He was a 1954 graduate of Chicora High School. Following high school, Dick was employed at Armco Steel in Butler. From 1957 to 1959, Dick served in the US Army, where he earned the rank of Master Sergeant. Following his discharge from active duty, Dick continued to serve his country for more than 25 years as a member of the Pennsylvania Army National Guard. While serving in the National Guard, Dick continued his career with Armco Steel as an electrician foreman in processing maintenance and retired following more than 30 years of service. He was an avid racing fan and helped Ed and Alex Ferree Racing for more than 20 years as they traveled to races around Western Pennsylvania and up and down the east coast.

He was a longtime active member of the Chicora United Methodist Church. 

Dick enjoyed hunting, fishing, NASCAR, reading Louis L‘Amour books, elk hunting in Colorado, bear hunting in Newfoundland, snowmobiling in Canada and Yellowstone, tinkering, and all forms of dirt track racing. In his younger years, he raced at various dirt tracks in Western PA. Prior to his retirement, if he wasn’t working at Armco, you could find him on a Friday night at Lernerville Speedway, and other nights at Blanket Hill, Sharon Speedway, or Marion Center. After retirement, if he wasn’t at a dirt track or traveling to other major racing venues, you could find him chopping wood, cutting trees, or on his lawnmower or tractor, working on the Stroup family farm. Dick was was a true jack of all trades, and a master of all trades. He was an electrician, auto mechanic, outdoorsman, welder, award-winning marksman, passionate environmentalist, conservationist, and patriot. He was a John Wayne and Clint Eastwood movie buff, and most especially enjoyed westerns and WWII movies. Above all, he was a devoted family man, committed to providing the best life possible for his wife, Nancy, and their two children.

Dick was preceded in death by his wife Nancy A. Deary Stroup, whom he married in Butler on April 22, 1957. Mrs. Stroup preceded him in death on May 19, 2025.  

Surviving is his daughter, Kimberly A. Munoz of Ashburn, VA; two grandchildren, Kara E. Sroka and her husband, Michael, of Valencia, and Sarah K. Munoz and her fiance, Steve Samson, of Ashburn, VA; seven great-grandchildren, Chloe, Jackson, McKenzie, Owen, Austin, Tatum, and Isaac; a sister, Dixie Reimold of Butler, as well as a number of nieces, nephews, and cousins.  

In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his son, Christopher V. Stroup, a granddaughter, Lindsay Stroup, his brothers, Earl, Clair, Dean, Vance L. and Willis, his sisters, Evelyn Schrecongost, Elsie Hays, and Eleanor Boozel, as well as a number of nieces, nephews, brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law.  

The family would like to thank Good Samaritan Hospice Care and all of the staff in the personal care unit at Concordia in Cabot for their loving care and support over the past two years. The family is grateful and very blessed to have had such an amazing group of caregivers.

Friends will be received at the Hile Funeral Home of Chicora, 339 Chicora Fenelton Rd., Chicora from 12 noon- 3 p.m. and 5-7 p.m. Sunday, October 26, 2025. A funeral service will be held from the funeral home at 11 a.m. Monday, October 27, 2025, with the Rev. Beverly Roscoe, pastor of the Chicora United Methodist Church, officiating. Military honors will be accorded by the Chicora and Brady’s Bend American Legion Posts. Interment will be in Hillview Cemetery in the Village of Kepples Corners.

Memorial contributions in Mr. Stroup’s name may be made to the Chicora United Methodist Church, P.O. Box 502 Chicora, PA 16025.

To send a condolence, please visit www.hilefh.com.