Obituary for Josephine Merle Romberger (Lowrie)
Josephine Merle (Lowrie) Romberger of Mechanicsburg, beloved wife, mother, sister, grandmother, and great grandmother, passed away in Mechanicsburg on June 5, 2022, following complications from a fall. She was 96.
Jo was born March 25, 1926, in Oil City, PA to Howard R. Lowrie and Josephine (Maier) Lowrie. The family relocated several times due to her father’s job including Pittsburgh and New Jersey, where she developed a lifelong appreciation for musical theater and jazz piano. Like her father and mother before her, Jo enrolled at the Pennsylvania State University, graduating in the class of 1947, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education/ English and Social Studies. While at Penn State she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. Following graduation, she worked as a teacher in Tioga County, PA. In 1966, she earned a Master’s Degree in Speech – Language Pathology from Marshall University in Huntington, WV.
Jo met the love of her life, Ralph L. Romberger, in State College, and they were married on July 10, 1948. They remained happily married for more than 63 years until his passing in 2010. As a young mother, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease, which she bravely battled the rest of her life. After the birth of her three daughters, Jo worked as a speech therapist at schools in Allentown and Charleston, WV and then with the Capital Intermediate Unit in the East Pennsboro schools until her retirement in the 1980s.
Jo and Ralph spent much of their leisure time playing golf and traveling all over the United States and the world. Their excursions included treks to Alaska, Europe, Asia, South America, New Zealand and Australia. Jo was a long time member of Camp Hill Presbyterian Church where she was elected as an elder to the session. Despite her diminishing eyesight, she was a prodigious reader and devoted many years to volunteer service at the Frederickson Library (and its predecessor, the Camp Hill Library). She also devoted substantial time to the Food Pantry and other non-profits in the Harrisburg area. In 2014 Jo moved to Bethany Village, continuing the activities she enjoyed including local travel, musical theater and playing bridge.
Jo is survived by her three daughters Susan (Romberger) Siegman, Barbara (Romberger) McLemore and Karen (Romberger) Hoyer, as well as six grandchildren, six greatgrandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services are to be announced. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Frederickson Library. Interment will be at Ft. Indiantown Gap where she will rest in eternity with her beloved Ralph.
Jo was born March 25, 1926, in Oil City, PA to Howard R. Lowrie and Josephine (Maier) Lowrie. The family relocated several times due to her father’s job including Pittsburgh and New Jersey, where she developed a lifelong appreciation for musical theater and jazz piano. Like her father and mother before her, Jo enrolled at the Pennsylvania State University, graduating in the class of 1947, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Education/ English and Social Studies. While at Penn State she was a member of Alpha Omicron Pi sorority. Following graduation, she worked as a teacher in Tioga County, PA. In 1966, she earned a Master’s Degree in Speech – Language Pathology from Marshall University in Huntington, WV.
Jo met the love of her life, Ralph L. Romberger, in State College, and they were married on July 10, 1948. They remained happily married for more than 63 years until his passing in 2010. As a young mother, she was diagnosed with retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease, which she bravely battled the rest of her life. After the birth of her three daughters, Jo worked as a speech therapist at schools in Allentown and Charleston, WV and then with the Capital Intermediate Unit in the East Pennsboro schools until her retirement in the 1980s.
Jo and Ralph spent much of their leisure time playing golf and traveling all over the United States and the world. Their excursions included treks to Alaska, Europe, Asia, South America, New Zealand and Australia. Jo was a long time member of Camp Hill Presbyterian Church where she was elected as an elder to the session. Despite her diminishing eyesight, she was a prodigious reader and devoted many years to volunteer service at the Frederickson Library (and its predecessor, the Camp Hill Library). She also devoted substantial time to the Food Pantry and other non-profits in the Harrisburg area. In 2014 Jo moved to Bethany Village, continuing the activities she enjoyed including local travel, musical theater and playing bridge.
Jo is survived by her three daughters Susan (Romberger) Siegman, Barbara (Romberger) McLemore and Karen (Romberger) Hoyer, as well as six grandchildren, six greatgrandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews.
Services are to be announced. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the Frederickson Library. Interment will be at Ft. Indiantown Gap where she will rest in eternity with her beloved Ralph.