For years, students who entered fifth grade at Hempfield Area School Districts's Stanwood Elementary hoped they would be assigned to Philip Sleber's class.
“He was just a kind and caring person, and he made learning fun,” said Tammy Gray, a second-grade teacher who found in Mr. Sleber a mentor and a friend when she joined the school's staff in 1993.
“He always had a smile on his face. He just made you feel good,” Gray said. “If a kid came in to school in a bad mood, he would try to figure out what he could do to help the kid.
“He made students become aware of what they were capable of, even if they needed a little extra help,” she said.
Philip J. “PeeWee” Sleber of Greensburg, died Tuesday, Nov. 22, 2016, at Hempfield Manor, unable to emerge from a coma following surgery for bleeding in the brain. He was 69.
Mr. Sleber retired in 2006 after 38 years with the district, including an initial stint at now-closed St. Clair Elementary.
Online tributes from former students have poured in. He inspired at least one to overcome a reading disability and become a teacher herself.
“He just made every kid feel comfortable,” said his wife, Geraldine “Geri” Sleber. “You didn't even have to be in his class; he knew you.”
A Civil War buff, Mr. Sleber enjoyed traveling to Gettysburg's battlefield with his family and would invite students on the educational trips, she noted.
“He would take children who wouldn't have had the opportunity to do this,” his wife said.
Gray recalled Mr. Sleber would stay after school to make sure a student who missed the bus had a way home. He helped organize an annual talent show for fourth- and fifth-grade students.
“He was all about knowing what kids needed,” Gray said.
Mr. Sleber remained active until recently, overcoming a stroke shortly after his retirement and two bouts with cancer.
Born Aug. 2, 1947, in Greensburg, he was a son of the late Philip William and Cecelia E. Mattia Sleber.
He graduated from Greensburg Salem High School and Salem College before earning a master's degree in education from California University of Pennsylvania.
He served as a staff sergeant with the Pennsylvania National Guard, 110th Infantry.
In addition to his wife, he is survived by a son, Philip J. Sleber of Greensburg; daughter, Dana DiMatteo of Allison Park; sisters, Antonia “Toni” Wallace of Greensburg and Sally Sleber Stroker of Hunker; and a newborn grandson.
Friends will be received 3 to 5 p.m. and 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Leo M. Bacha Funeral Home, 516 Stanton St., Greensburg. Prayers will begin at 9:30 a.m. Monday at the funeral home, followed by a 10 a.m. funeral Mass at St. Bruno Roman Catholic Church, 1729 Poplar St., South Greensburg, PA 15601. Interment with military honors will follow in Greensburg Catholic Cemetery.
Memorials may be made to the church or to the American Cancer Society, 510 Pellis Road, Suite 203, Greensburg, PA 15601.
Jeff Himler is a Tribune-Review staff writer. Reach him at 724-836-6622 or jhimler@tribweb.com.
