Clarence Earl Brubaker

Clarence Earl Brubaker, 87, of Messiah Village, passed away peacefully with his family celebrating his homegoing to Jesus Christ, Wednesday, August 13th, 2025, at Messiah Lifeways, Mechanicsburg, PA.

While he has left only a piece of his life behind in our hearts, we remember how our Grandpa, Grandpop, Hun, Clarence and Dad enriched our lives with his love and care.  He successfully taught us how to invest in the “least among us” as Jesus does.  This was his focus.

Philippians 2:3 - Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.  This verse expresses Christ’s directive, which he followed consistently.

He was a generous man who expressed great joy and lived with integrity. Even when serving others was inconvenient or the choices did not benefit him personally, he lived for Christ.  This was his priority.

He lived as Jesus lived - passionately.  It was the pleasure of his day to listen carefully to whoever was in front of him and invite conversation.  He led his family to understand what it meant to be a servant of Jesus, not in a loud manner, but in a quiet, more meaningful, practical, and sincere way.  What was important in your life at that moment?

Quick advice was often not offered. A listening ear – always.  Gentleness was his gift with a quip or dad joke not far behind.

Clarence enjoyed his calling as a pastor and chaplain.  He started his career at the Valley Street Brethren in Christ Church, Dayton, OH. He then rolled up his sleeves with fellow believers to plan and build a new church building at the Cedar Heights Brethren in Christ Church, Mill Hall, PA. In the 70s and 80s, he built lifelong, genuine relationships at a brand-new congregation - the Van Lear Brethren in Christ Church, Williamsport, MD. He moved on to care for incarcerated men and their affected families at the Maryland State Corrections Department in Hagerstown, MD and in his retirement years, he and his wife, Mary Ann, served as volunteer ambassadors for Reach Beyond, Colorado Springs, CO.

Born in Elizabethtown, PA, on December 23, 1937, to Paul and Ruth (Moyer) Brubaker, he flourished in rural life with his parents and sisters and eventually went to work for his grandfather, Christian Moyer, at Moyer’s Chips, Elizabethtown.  Clarence graduated from Messiah College in the Class of 1960.

He is survived by his wife Mary Ann Brubaker (Stern), his son Dale and wife Janice (Linder) and their two sons; his son Glen and wife Cindi (Lehman) and their six sons; his son Marlin and wife Ruth (Owen) and their three daughters.  He is blessed with four great-grandchildren.  More great-grandchildren are expected to arrive in 2026.  He was always a very proud, grateful grandfather and the more grandchildren, the better.

Clarence has two surviving sisters, Lois and Dave Miller and their two children, and Faye and Paul Fittery. 

Clarence built a special lifelong bond with Mary Ann’s sister, brothers, and their spouses and families. Surviving in-laws include sister-in-law, Doris Lehman, brothers-in-law, Ronald Stern, Joel Stern, Amos “Ken” Stern and Charles “Chuck” Stern.  Clarence was pre-deceased by Harold Stern.    

A memorial service will be held on September 27th, 2025, at the Dillsburg Brethren in Christ Church with visitation at 9:30 AM and service at 10:30 AM.

Donations are preferred in place of flowers to support the Push the Rock Guatemala Sports and Education Project for children and families - https://pushtherock.app.neoncrm.com/forms/guatemala and ReachBeyond.org, Colorado Springs, serving internationally  with broad-based services to those who do not know Jesus. https://reachbeyond.org/project/memorial-gifts. Links are provided below for your convenience.

The family wants to thank the entire Messiah Lifeways care team and Homeland Hospice for their moment-by-moment care.  You softened the discomfort for both Clarence and us while we had the opportunity to say our goodbyes.  His quality of life was enriched because of your concern.