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- ELAINE BARNER OBITUARY
Elaine Williams Barner, 95, of Hershey, passed away peacefully on Sunday, May 14, 2023 at the Masonic Village Evergreen Hospice unit in Elizabethtown, PA. Born March 18, 1928 in Scranton, PA, she was the daughter of the late Thomas J. and Elizabeth (Evans) Williams. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Warren M. Barner and sister, Ruth Elizabeth Zeidler.
Raised in Bloomfield, NJ, she was graduated from Bloomfield High School. Elaine received her BA in English and Spanish from Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, PA in 1949. While a student, she was involved in numerous campus organizations. She was a member of Kappa Delta Phi sorority, serving as corresponding secretary, and was a member of Tau Kappa, a women's honor athletic sorority. She played on the field hockey team, was a cheerleader, participated with the Susquehanna Players and many other organizations. During her summers, she was a camp counselor in the Delaware Water Gap area. She received her Master's degree from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. She also matriculated at the State Teachers College at Newark and Jersey City, NJ.
Elaine was an over 25 year member of the Presbyterian Church on the Green in Bloomfield, NJ where she served as a Sunday School teacher. She also enjoyed being a Girl Scout leader in her New Jersey community.
"Miss Williams", a merit teacher in the Millburn Short Hills School District in NJ for almost 20 years, taught mainly first and third grade in the South Mountain Elementary School. Elaine wrote and led children's plays throughout this time. Along with her teaching, she had a passion for impacting children through music and the arts. After getting married, having a child, and moving to Hershey, PA in 1973 she taught over a decade and a half in the Derry Township School District in the Hershey Elementary School as a long term substitute. She was a member of the National Education Association.
Elaine attended Derry Presbyterian Church in Hershey for 48 years where she was an active member participating with the Presbyterian Women, serving on various committees such as the Derry Seniors, teaching ESL classes and organizing events like the Mother-Daughter banquets.
Throughout her lifetime, Elaine traveled cross country and around the world with friends and her husband. She was a patron of the arts in the northern NJ/New York City metropolitan area and in Hershey.
She enjoyed bettering her community through her membership and support at Hershey Gardens and The Children's Garden, The Hershey Story Museum and the Hershey-Derry Township Historical Society. She was an active member of the Hershey Chapter of AARP serving as Membership Chair and a member of the Mohler Senior Center.
Elaine is survived by her daughter, Lauren (Peter) Daems of Eagleville, PA; niece, Carol Ertle of Massachusetts; nephew, Paul (Maureen) Zeidler of New Hampshire: Sue (Gorham) Brigham of Massachusetts; a great niece, Jessica (Mike) Zarrella and great nephews BJ (Sue) Ertle and Jim (Danielle) Zeidler and their respective children.
A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, June 3, 2023 at 11 am at the Derry Presbyterian Church, 248 East Derry Rd., Hershey. She will be interred privately in the Indiantown Gap National Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family prefers that memorial contributions be made to Derry Presbyterian Church (memo: in memory of Elaine Barner), 248 E. Derry Road, Hershey, PA 17033 to support the music program or made to The Penn State University (memo: in memory of Elaine Barner), University Development, Attn: Memorial Gifts, 1249 Cocoa Avenue, P.O. Box 852, Hershey, PA 17033-0852 to support The Children's Miracle Network Child Life Program at The Penn State Hershey Medical Center.
Hoover Funeral Home of Hershey is handling the arrangements. Share condolences via the online guest book at www.hooverfuneralhome.com www.pennlive.com/obits
https://obits.pennlive.com/us/obituaries/pennlive/name/elaine-barner-obituary?id=52021461
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