Sarah Ellen Bucher Myers, 80, died May 6, 2025. She was born Feb. 11, 1945, the first child of Samuel Jacob and Margaret Mae (Mininger) Bucher. She has three siblings: Samuel Jonathan (Esther Shenk), Morinville, Alberta; Mary Beth (Lester Lind), Philippi, W.Va.; and Joseph Daniel (Judy Pierantoni), Harman, W.Va. At 14 months of age, she moved from Pennsylvania to a small, mountainous, rural community in West Virginia for her father to be the local physician.
At Eastern Mennonite College, she married Herbert E. Myers Jr. on Sept. 4, 1965. They welcomed three daughters: Karen Lynne (Sue Blauch), Brenda Ivonne (Greg Shaub) and Susan Janelle (Jason Benner); seven grandchildren (one deceased) and a great-grandson.
Her life was filled with adventures, including teaching child development in an inner-city high school in Philadelphia; living in Aibonito, Puerto Rico, for two years and Jackson, Miss., for eight years; and helping to develop an intentional community in Mount Joy, Pa., known as Arbour Fellowship. In midlife she returned to college, got a degree in occupational therapy and began working in mental health. Her most fulfilling work was developing Compeer Lancaster, which matches volunteers with people recovering from mental illness in a friendship.
Diagnosed with non- Hodgkin lymphoma in 2001, she received a stem cell transplant with cells from her only sister in 2003. For 22 years, she was cancer free until being diagnosed with metastatic pancreatic cancer in March 2025. In retirement she and Herb moved to West Virginia in 2010. For 13 years she shared her gift of hospitality with many who came to stay at their Mountain House of Hope. She loved creating with her hands, whether weaving on her loom, arranging flower bouquets, kneading whole-grain breads, making candles out of old wax, writing notes of encouragement or knitting prayer shawls. She hiked with Herb, visiting all the West Virginia State Parks.
Her faith was a most important part of her life. She was active in the church wherever they lived, most recently Shalom Mennonite Congregation of Harrisonburg, Va. See full obituary at kygers.com.
