Butler County attorney dies on African safari

On the final day of his life, Randy Hareza was a happy man.

The attorney and his wife, Lorrie, were on a two-week big game hunting safari in Zimbabwe to celebrate two important milestones -- Hareza's 50th birthday Oct. 1 and the couple's 25th wedding anniversary Oct. 3.

But the dream trip ended tragically Thursday when Hareza, of Mars, Butler County, died after falling off a cliff.

Relatives and friends said that on the couple's last night in the rugged bush country, they enjoyed dinner atop a bluff. Making their way back to camp, Hareza tripped on uneven ground and fell 120 feet to a ravine below.

The U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe flew Hareza's body to Washington. It is expected to return to Pittsburgh this morning.

Hareza was "a bright, talented" litigator who successfully argued complex malpractice cases on behalf of insurance companies and brokers, said David White, senior partner at Burns White & Hickton, a law firm on the North Shore where Hareza was a partner.

He was the consummate everyman, who was "just as comfortable sitting next to the guy in the corner office as the lady on the bus," White said.

Born Oct. 1, 1956, in Scott, to Frank and Anna Mae "Dolly" Hareza, Randy Hareza was the second of the couple's four children and was the glue that held the close-knit family together, said his brother, Dennis Hareza, 47, of Chicago.

Hareza received a law degree from Duquesne University in 1988. He spent time working for the state, including a stint as a deputy attorney general, before being hired by White's firm in 1989.

Despite the long hours, Hareza was never too busy for family.

"Our brother, Scott, had to have brain surgery some time ago," Dennis Hareza said. "Randy left the law firm and was at his bed constantly for two weeks."

Randy and Lorrie Hareza have one daughter, Elizabeth, 20, a journalism and communications major at Bethany College in West Virginia.

Visitation will be from 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday and from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday at the William Slater II Funeral Home, 1650 Greentree Road, Scott. A memorial service will be held at 1 p.m. Thursday at the funeral home. Hareza will be cremated.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to the Duquesne University School of Law, 600 Forbes Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15282, in care of the Randy K. Hareza Scholarship Fund.