Obituary of Esther M. Bucher

(Anna) Esther Markley Bucher, age 98 years and 11 months, of Brethren Village, Lancaster, PA, formerly of Elizabethtown, PA, entered into eternal rest on Tuesday morning, July 6, 2010 at Moravian Manor in Lititz, PA. She was under the care of Hospice of Lancaster County. For her long life and special presence with us, thanks be to God! She was the wife of the late K. Ezra Bucher who died September 24, 1986, and the daughter of the late Reverend Harvey Brubaker Markley and Jennie Brandt Beck Markley of Lexington, PA who were members of the Middle Creek Church of the Brethren. Esther is survived by two sons, Dr. Glenn R. Bucher and spouse, Mary K. Gladfelter Bucher, of Elizabethtown, and Larry L. Bucher of Baltimore, MD; two grandchildren, Christina Bucher Bailey, wife of Peter Bailey, of Princeton, NJ, and Timothy Jon Bucher of Atlanta, GA; and three great grandchildren, Nathaniel, Jackson, and Elizabeth. A Rothsville High School graduate, class of 1929, she attended Elizabethtown College and upon graduating with the class of 1933, she began a 23 year teaching career (Wood Corner School near Ephrata, Mechanicsburg, and Rheems Elementary School in the Elizabethtown Area School District) from which she retired in 1973. Esther sang in the choir as a member of the Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren. She also served as a Junior Department Superintendent for many years, attended church camps as a counselor/leader, and with her husband of 52 years, assisted in conducting more than 60 stewardship campaigns in the Atlantic Northeast and Southern Districts of the Church of the Brethren. Her other associations include lifetime memberships in the Elizabethtown College Auxiliary and the Brethren Village Auxiliary. Additionally, while residing at Brethren Village these past 29 years, she found time to participate in The Green Thumb Society and the Residents' Council. She also volunteered her efforts to help other residents in numerous ways. Esther was a member of the Brethren Singers and maintained membership in the Pennsylvania Education Association, the School Retirees of Lancaster County, Elizabethtown's Business and Professional Women's Club, and the Elizabethtown Area Education Association. Esther's commitments to family, church, and community were driving forces for her activities throughout her life. She will be greatly be missed because of her kind and generous spirit shared with all she met. A memorial service to celebrate her life will be held on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 11:00 AM at the Chapel at Brethren Village, 3001 Lititz Pike, Lancaster, PA 17606. Private interment will be in Mount Tunnel Cemetery in Elizabethtown. There will be no viewing. The family will receive friends at the chapel on the day of the service from 10:00 AM until the time of the service. Immediately following the service, all are invited to attend a light luncheon in the Assembly Hall at Brethren Village. The family requests that flowers please be omitted. If desired, contributions may be made in Esther's memory to the Good Samaritan Fund, c/o Brethren Village or to the K. Ezra Bucher/Esther M. Bucher Music Fund, c/o Elizabethtown Church of the Brethren, 777 South Mount Joy Street, Elizabethtown, PA 17022. To share a condolence with the family or for additional information, visit www.spencefuneralservices.com.