Sally B. Reusser

Sally B. Reusser, 78, of Bethlehem, Pa., died on October 19, 2024. Born July 3, 1946, in Orange, N.J., to the late Thomas Freeman and Laura (Broadbent) Batkin, she is survived by her devoted husband of 56 years, Raymond Edward Reusser.

Sally was a Renaissance woman with a creative spark, sense of humor, intelligence, athleticism, and outgoing personality that shone throughout her life.

Growing up at the beach in Ocean Grove, N.J., Sally competed in varsity sports, was the head of the yearbook committee and served as the student body's Black Team Chief. Gifted with a creative passion from her art teacher mother and antiques dealer father, Sally earned dual degrees in Art History and Fashion Design in three years from Stephens College (Mo.).

Her fellow anonymous writer of the Grove's Beachcomber social column, Jim "Scoops" Almoney, introduced Sally, the Jersey Girl, to a mutual friend, a young engineer from the Midwest, who was renting a beach house nearby with some other young bucks. Sally and Ray met for a tennis date, and 10 months later, in 1968, after she returned from a study abroad program in Europe, they became husband and wife.

Starting their lives on Church Street in the historic district of Bethlehem where she worked as the Athletic Director for the Moravian Seminary for Girls (now Moravian Academy), Sally and Ray welcomed Derek Edward in 1972 and Stacey Loren in 1976. The following year, they moved to a beautiful Tudor home on the West Side, where they raised their family, along with a continuous complement of much-loved dogs and cats.

While she was the consummate soccer / volleyball / baseball / horse / PTA mom and served as the family anchor and "domestic engineer" who kept the family humming while Ray labored in the global trenches, Sally sustained a vibrant personal pursuit of hobbies, interests and side hustles, and helped her husband remember to have fun too.

Over the years, she taught aerobics at the YWCA, designed costuming for a rental shop that supplied professional theater, strung tennis racquets and even repped for a dog food company. Sally was a very competitive tennis player for decades, taught youth lessons, as well as coached soccer for the Greater Bethlehem Soccer League.

Following a mysterious health decline in 1991, Sally was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation, a then little-known neurological condition. Several brain surgeries later, she recovered and turned her attention toward spreading awareness of the disease, co-founding Chiari Connection International. She helped countless families in the years since to learn more about Chiari and connected them with resources to help in diagnosis and treatment.

While her own competitive activities slowed down a bit, Sally continued to be an avid Philly sports fan and season ticket holder for several local sports teams. She pursued her love of the arts throughout the years with events at Zoellner Arts Center and DeSales, even managing to help facilitate Ray's appreciation of the artistry and athleticism of ballet. The couple shared a mutual love of cooking and food, serving up international delights via a Gourmet Group dinner club with several other couples for more than 30 years.

Sally expressed her talents for needlecraft throughout her life, making her own wedding dress, creating killer Halloween costumes, and knitting countless gifts for family, from socks and candy corn hats to elaborate sweaters. She received great joy in more recent years in knitting more than 150 teddy bears for children in developing countries affected by HIV/AIDS for the Mother Bear Project.

Bears held a special place in Sally's heart. Long a collector of Native American art, jewelry, pottery, and basketry, she felt that the bear, a symbol of strength, courage, and healing, was her totem or spirit animal. She epitomized that spirit earlier as she overcame Chiari and toward the end of her life, as she bravely contended with the insidious effects of vascular dementia and Alzheimer's before she was diagnosed only weeks ago.

Sally will be dearly missed by Ray; Derek and Tonya Reusser and their children Derek and Maya; Stacey and Jason Reap and their son Casey; and many friends.

Family will receive friends at Connell Funeral Home, 245 E. Broad St., Bethlehem, PA 18018, on Sunday, November 3, 2024, from 2-3 p.m., with a ceremony to celebrate Sally's life to immediately follow at 3 p.m. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to: Conquer Chiari-www.conquerchiari.org or Alzheimer's Association - www.alz.org

Condolences may be offered at www.connellfuneral.com