Harry K. Sickler Jr.

He was born at his family home on Hillcrest in Tyrone. The fifth of six children, he was the son of the late Harry K. Sr. and Margaret Isabel “Belle” McNelis Sickler. On June 27, 1953, he married Dolores Jean Trimble Sickler at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church in Tyrone. She went to be with her Lord on June 28, 2017, just two hours after their 64th wedding anniversary.

Surviving are four children: Linda Marie (Russell) Suda of Concord, N.C., Mary Suzanne Tomer of Lake Worth, Fla., Deborah Jean Heaton of Tyrone and Timothy (Kerry) Sickler of Altoona; 14 grandchildren; 16 great-grandchildren; and a sister-in-law, Nancy Trimble of Arizona.

Harry was preceded in death by two children, Harry K. Sickler III and Colleen Ann Sickler Mertiff; siblings: Mary Suzanne “Suey” Sickler Ohl, William McNelis Sickler and Leonard Christopher “Christy” Sickler; his aunt, Rosemary Jane McNelis; and father- and mother-in-law, William and Janet May Robinson Trimble.

He attended St. Matthew’s Catholic School and was a 1948 graduate of Tyrone Area High School. He graduated Cum Laude in 1953 from Notre Dame with a Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps and was commissioned immediately near the end of the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in November 1955.

He began his professional career with Price Waterhouse in Los Angeles, Calif. He returned home to Tyrone in 1958 and started his own accounting firm. He never really stopped working. He also purchased and ran the Bull Pen Restaurant and Lounge. He wanted to provide the community with good food at affordable prices and a place to gather after local sporting events.

Harry was heavily involved in the community. His philanthropic lifestyle had an impact on Tyrone sports and the rest of the community. It would not be a stretch to say that the community will never truly know how much Harry did for Tyrone. He was heavily involved with his church and was nominated and received the Prince

Gallitzin Cross medal in 2007 for his selflessness toward St. Matthew’s Church and his community. His baby was the school, and his determination to see that it remained open was a driving force in its flourishing today. His involvement in civic groups was well-known. He had served as an officer or board member for many of them and was a member of the Kiwanis Club, St. Matthew’s, Tyrone Chamber of Commerce, Notre Dame Alumni Association, Team Ten and Pennsylvania Institute of CPAs. He received a distinguished public service award and was a member of Mellon Bank Board, YMCA, Elks, American Legion and the Knights of Columbus. He started the Tyrone Jaycees and the Tyrone Monogram Club. He was inducted into the Tyrone Wrestling Hall of Fame and was recognized in 2005 as a TASD Distinguished Alumni. The Harry K. Sickler Jr. Athletic Park, among other things, was his namesake.

Harry K. Sickler Jr. was a businessman, a sportsman, community leader and the embodiment of sportsmanship, good will and community involvement.

Friends will be received from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 4 until 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 29, 2025, at Richard H. Searer Funeral Home Inc., Tyrone. A funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. Wednesday,

April 30, 2025, at St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Tyrone, the Rev. Michael Pleva, celebrant. Interment will be made at Oak Grove Cemetery following Mass.