Chicora community holds vigil to remember 3 Butler County men killed in crash

CHICORA, Pa. — The Butler County community packed Christ’s Family Church in Chicora Sunday to share memories of the three young men who were killed in a car crash 24 hours earlier.

Ron Parisi’s family said the 21-year-old was driving home with his cousin Levi Deal, 17, and their friend Josh Boettner, 19, Saturday night.

State police said they were killed after their car veered off Centerville Road in Crawford County and hit a tree.

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Parisi’s stepmom, Ursula Parisi, was at Sunday’s prayer vigil.

“He was always happy, always laughing, always had a smile on,” Ursula Parisi said. “They were amazing people, all three of them. I can’t even believe it.”

All three young men had a love for dirt bikes. Family members said before the crash, they were practicing for a race about an hour and a half away but sadly never made it home to Butler County.

Tommy Shuler was Ron Parisi and Levi Deal’s cousin. He said he was with Parisi the day before the tragedy.

“I just couldn’t believe it. I looked up to him and now I have no one to look up to,” Shuler said. “It was never a dull moment. We were always making jokes, always laughing. We both loved cars, both rode dirt bikes around the farm, quads, went fishing and hunting together. I’m going to do everything I can to remember him and hopefully one day get to meet him again.”

Zach Scherer organized Sunday’s prayer vigil.

“We were thinking maybe 10 or 15 people would show up and obviously the parking lot is full,” said Scherer. “These kids were loved by a lot of people.”

Scherer was a friend to all three boys but said he was close with Deal.

“Every time you saw the kid he had a smile on his face,” he said. “If you were having a bad day he’d make it better.”

The pastor of the church said he did not know the three young men but wanted to open his doors to the community to bring everybody together and help them grieve.

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