Sarah Hays Bubb Bruch

Sarah Hays Bubb Bruch died on June 18, 2023, at her residence in Muncy, PA. She was 98.

Sally was born in Williamsport, PA and was the daughter of Hugh Jackson Bubb and Ann Phillips Bubb. In her early years, she enjoyed summers at Camp Cedar Pines and spending time riding horses. She became a baseball fan at an early age watching the local minor leaguers starting with The Williamsport Grays and then Little League games, due in part to her father’s passion for the game and his early backing of the Little League organization. During her teenage years, she spent summers at Eagles Mere, PA which led to her establishing a second home there late in life which she named “Mere Folly”.

She was a 1942 graduate of Dickinson Seminary, then a secondary day school operated by Lycoming College. She studied for two years at Sweet Briar College in Amherst, VA before transferring to Wilson College in Chambersburg, PA and earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts with a minor in French as a member of the Class of 1947. Upon graduation, she was employed by Bert Wood, a specialty retail boutique.

On May 6, 1949, Sally married John L. Bruch, Jr. They celebrated 64 years of marriage and had three children. Soon after being married, Sally earned her insurance agent and broker licenses and remained active in the family business for over five decades. She and her husband were adventuresome travelers frequenting the Adirondacks, the Rocky Mountains, Europe, and the Caribbean. They especially enjoyed three decades of mid-summer stays at the A Bar A Ranch in Wyoming where deep friendships with other families were forged. Civically, she was a forty plus year member of the board of directors of the former Lycoming County Crippled Children’s Society (now UPMC Pediatric Rehabilitation Center) and a sustaining member of the Junior League of Williamsport. As a member of the Women’s Club of Williamsport, she played weekly bridge inspired by her Old Fashioned mix until age 92.An enthusiastic tennis player, Sally was an occasional golfer and always delighted in orchestrating day trips for family and friends. A reluctant downhill skier, she nonetheless regularly spirited the family off to Highland Ski Area and to New England for weeklong ski vacations. However, Sally was most content with a good novel and a challenging crossword puzzle. At the time of her death, she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, the Williamsport Country Club and St. Andrew Lutheran Church.

A special thank you from the family to Sally’s care giving team over the past few years. They were indispensable and always there for her with the utmost of attention and devotion.

She was predeceased by her husband, John L. Bruch, Jr., and her brother, Hugh J. Bubb, Jr. Immediate survivors are Susan H.B. Muir (J. Thomas) of Troy, VA, John L. Bruch, III (Anne L.C.) of Baltimore, MD and Ann P. Bruch of New York, six grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A memorial service will be held at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 201 S. Main St., Muncy, PA on July 5 at 3:30pm.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Sally’s name may be made to Susquehanna Health Foundation (to benefit UPMC Pediatric Rehab Center) 1001 Grampian Boulevard, Williamsport, PA 17701, or, to the Eagles Mere Foundation, PO Box 402,Eagles Mere, PA 17731 www.eaglesmerefoundation.org.