The campus community mourns the passing of Zerna Bower, who died on Thursday, Dec. 28. Zerna worked in Bucknell Dining Services since 2010. Her colleagues shared that Zerna was beloved by Bucknell students and her co-workers. She worked at Bison Fresh during the dinner hours and was famous for “Mac and Cheese Mondays” and “Zerna’s Chicken Parm.” Included below is the complete text of the obituary, as provided by the family. You are encouraged to visit our In Memoriam site to share personal notes of sympathy and remembrance with others. On behalf of our entire University community, I extend our […]

Dear Colleagues, I write to share the sad news that our friend and colleague Mike Hackenberg has passed away. A 16-year member of the facilities team, Mike worked as a utilities technician. He was a certified pool operator with primary responsibility for the maintenance of Kinney Natatorium. Mike also served as a welder, rebuilt and maintained pumps on campus, and maintained the campus steam/condensate systems. His facilities coworkers recall Mike as a skilled craftsman who took pride in his work and found creative solutions for any problem that arose. For some, Mike was simply “a force of nature.” Friends describe […]

Dear Bucknellians, It is with deep sadness that I share the news that our friend and colleague Lewis “Chip” Marrara has unexpectedly passed away. I will share information about services for Chip as soon as details are available, but I wanted to make you all aware of this significant loss for our Bucknell family. As assistant dean of students and student conduct administrator in the Division of Student Affairs, Chip helped guide students through difficult times in their collegiate lives. He previously served as assistant dean of fraternity & sorority affairs and was an adviser to numerous student clubs and […]

The campus community mourns the passing of Irene Njuguna, who died on Saturday, February 20. Irene had been employed for 15 years as part of the Bucknell Dining Services team. Irene recently won Bucknell Dining’s “Most Popular Team Member” student contest. Included below is the complete text of the obituary, as provided by the family. You are encouraged to visit our In Memoriam Site at bucknell.edu/InMemoriam and share personal notes of sympathy and remembrance with others. On behalf of our entire University community, I extend our deepest sympathies to Irene’s family, as well as to all who knew her at […]

The campus community mourns the passing of Bruce Kline, who died on Wednesday, December 2, 2020.  Bruce has worked in our Facilities Department for 41 years, having served as equipment operator on the grounds/labor crew, as trades apprentice for carpentry, electrical, welding and plumbing, and then promoted to carpenter in 2007. Bruce has worked on many campus projects, most notably Freas Hall, Bostwick, President’s Dining Room and O’Leary office renovations. He was an active member of the Facilities Safety Committee.  Bruce was known not only for his reliable and knowledgeable expertise, but also for his positive attitude, kind manner and […]

The campus community mourns the passing of Daniel Brobst, who died on February 16, 2020.  Daniel was currently employed at Bucknell, having served for more than 15 years in the Department of Public Safety, first as Public Safety Officer and then transitioning to his current role as Communications Officer. His colleagues in the Department of Public Safety shared that, “We have truly lost a member of our family. His giant heart and his witty humor will sadly be missed.” Included below is the complete text of the obituary, as provided by the family. You are encouraged to visit our In […]

Dear Bucknellians, The campus community mourns the passing of Reed Byrum, who died on October 14, 2019.  At the time of his passing he had been employed at Bucknell for 4 years as a business consultant in the Small Business Development Office. Included below is the complete text of the obituary, as provided by the family. You are encouraged to visit our In Memoriam Site at bucknell.edu/InMemoriam and share personal notes of sympathy and remembrance with others. On behalf of our entire University community, I extend our deepest sympathies to Reed’s family, as well as to all who knew him at Bucknell. […]

Dear Members of the Campus Community, It is with deep sorrow that I share the news of the passing of Ruth Ann Craven, who was a devoted and caring member of our staff for the last 43 years. Ruth Ann came to Bucknell in 1974 as a staff member in the Department of Psychology. Since 1994, she served as the administrative assistant for the Office of the Chaplains and Religious Life and worked tirelessly behind the scenes at Rooke Chapel. She also served as the caretaker for Ward House on campus. In recognition of Ruth Ann’s commitment to Bucknell, she […]

Dear Colleagues and Students: The Bucknell community continues to mourn the sudden passing of Thaddeus Davis ’09 who died tragically last week while on vacation with his family. Thaddeus was employed as a development officer in the Annual Fund Office since 2014. Services have been scheduled for Saturday, July 29. Details may be found in the complete text of the obituary below, as provided by the family. You are encouraged to visit our In Memoriam Site at bucknell.edu/InMemoriam and share personal notes of sympathy and remembrance with others. On behalf of our entire University community, I extend our deepest sympathies to […]

Dear Colleagues: The campus community mourns the passing of Mary Elizabeth (Bower) Gavitt, 54, who died on Tuesday, May 9. Mary was employed as an Animal Caretaker in the Animal Behavior Laboratory; specifically the primate, since 1991. Mary was born July 14, 1962, a daughter of the late Donald E. and A. Elizabeth (Gross) Bower and was raised in the country near Watsontown. Like her Grandmother Gross, Mary had a passion for animals and the family home housed a menagerie of pets. Mary was an accomplished equestrian, riding her Tennessee Walkers, Encore and Scout. Mary was a social member of […]