Bernadette Brubaker

Mom was born on July 3.1925 in Pittsburgh PA to Robert and Antoinette (Ganter) Kelly. With her birthday being so close to the Fourth of July, she always thought as a child that the fireworks were in honor of her birthday.

She graduated from a Catholic high school in 1942 and at the age of 17, went to work with the Defense Department stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. For someone who had not been far from home, this showed a spirit of bravery and adventure that was a surprise to her family.

After a year and a half in the Panama Canal Zone, she returned to Pittsburgh. She began working full time as a secretary in private industry and attending College. In 1947 she visited her sister Kathleen in San Bernardino Ca. During her visit she met Richard Brubaker.

After a 3 year countship, Richard and Bernadette were married in June of 1950. Together they raised 5 children, Kathy, Rick, Lisa, Matt and Mary. From 1950 to 1963, Richard served in the United States Air Force. The family lived in different locations in the United States and Europe. Despite the frequent moves and Dad’s occasional work absences, Mom was able to maintain a loving stable, home for all of us. She was truly the heart of our family. All the children knew that they were the center of her life. She would actually cry when we went back to school each fall.

After being a full-time homemaker for almost twenty years, Mom did another brave and adventurous thing. She went back to work full-time. In 1975, she started working at Social Security Administration’s Office of Hearings and Appeals. She started as a Hearing Assistant and worked her way up to Supervisor and finally Office Manager. She loved her job, but gladly gave it up to help care for her first Granddaughter.

Her love of her family and her deep faith helped her through some very difficult times in her later years. On July 6, 2021, after battling rheumatoid arthritis, cancer and Alzheimer’s. she passed away peacefully in her home of 57 years, surrounded by her loving family.

Mom was preceded in death by her parents, Robert and Antoinette Kelly; her sister, Kathleen Harp; her brother Thomas Kelly and her husband, Richard Brubaker.

Mom is survived by her children: Kathy (Mike) Ortega; Rick (Sheryl) Brubaker; Lisa (Adam) Von Sydow; Matt (Psyche) Brubaker; and Mary (Scott) Clevenger. She is also survived by six grandchildren: Michael (Sandi) Brubaker; Emily (Raymond) Proctor; Katie Phillips; Sarah Von Sydow; Matthew Brubaker; and Randall Brubaker; six great grandchildren: Marshall, Dylan, Waylon, Hunter Brubaker and Celeste and Aaliyah Phillips. Finally, she is survived by many beloved nephews, nieces, great nephews and great nieces.