Obituary for Sara Anne Meck (Neff)
Sara Anne (Neff) Meck, of Ephrata, passed away at the age of 94, on March 26, 2023, at Lancaster General Hospital, three days after a fall. She had been living with her daughter in Millersville for the past two and a half years, under Hospice Care. Born January 4, 1929, in Lancaster, PA, she was the daughter of the late Mary (Weist) Neff Walker and Eugene Hildebrand Neff. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Z. Meck, in March 2016; three sons, David L. Meck, in 2021, Daniel J. Meck, in 2018, and James A. Meck in 2000; her granddaughter, Jenifer S. Meck, in 1999, a great-grandson, Wyatt Lewis Horton, in 2009; her brother, Jacob “Jack” E. Neff, in 2019 and her stepbrother, Richard E. Neff in 2020.
Sara was a member of the Ephrata Church of the Brethren and appreciated the visits by the deacons, when she was no longer able to attend, due to health concerns. A member of the Class of 1946, Sara graduated from Ephrata High School, where she met her future husband, Joseph Zerfass Meck, with whom she would have celebrated 70 years of marriage on June 2, 2016.
Sara began working at Doneckers of Ephrata, in 1965, where she enjoyed a career that spanned twenty-four and a half years, culminating in her position as Director of Advertising. Sara’s work was diverse and included coordinating fashion for customers, coordinating monthly mailers and copy for newspapers and proofreading and placing ads and programs.
Sara volunteered at the Ephrata Cloister. Along with her husband, she served as a coordinator for weddings held at the Ephrata Cloister for several years. She was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Ephrata Cloister Associates. Sara also served as the secretary to the original Eberbach Sister City Committee.
She loved reading, gardening, shopping, house decorating, listening to music and attending concerts, cooking and baking, playing bridge and traveling.
A day of shopping for Sara was usually marked on her calendar with anticipation and excitement. It meant visiting her favorite stores, of which there were many. Whether in a store or at a Craft Show, leisurely strolling and searching for rustic crafts and treasures, with which to decorate her home for the changing seasons of the year, shopping was one of Sara’s joys. Going out to lunch and buying gourmet foods and fine chocolates were some of her guilty pleasures. It couldn’t be just any chocolate, it always had to be dark chocolate! And, of course, there were always the jaunts to bookstores for her books and to greenhouses for her flowers. Sara developed an interest in gardening and delighted her family with her beautiful, colorful flower gardens, which her husband helped to dig and cultivate.
An avid reader, Sara was never without a good book. She also loved all genres of music and enjoyed playing her favorite CD’s, often heard throughout the house. In her younger years, Sara played the piano and was the church organist for two years, while still a teenager. She loved to attend a good concert and was even caught dancing in the aisles at a concert, when she was in her 70’s!
Sara enjoyed traveling with her husband along the East and West Coasts, into the Southwest, throughout New England, to Nova Scotia and to Europe. One of her favorite trips was the annual vacation she and her husband took to Ogunquit, Maine, to celebrate 22 of their wedding anniversaries. Together, they enjoyed scenic walks along the rocky cliffs of the Marginal Way, seafood dinners in their favorite restaurants and visits to the shops in Perkins Cove. One year, Sara and her husband had the unexpected pleasure and surprise of meeting President George H. W. Bush (41) and Barbara Bush, whose Summer home was nearby in Kennebunkport, Maine. Upon returning home to Pennsylvania, Sara wrote a letter to the Bushes and sent them a picture of their chance meeting. The Bushes responded in kind with a letter to Sara and her husband and returned the photo with their autographs, which became a great conversation-piece and souvenir. Sara enjoyed several trips to Europe with her husband, where they visited Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. A trip with her daughter, Karen, to Germany, and another trip to visit her son, David, his wife, Dale, and their sons, while living in France, as well as a side trip to London, were all highlights of her life.
Sara was young at heart, ready for new adventures, and willing to learn and grow. She was fun-loving, always full of life, love and laughter! Kind and caring, she had a generous spirit and gave from her heart. Sara was a loving wife and Mother, who will be greatly missed by her family. While we grieve for our loss, we are happy for her gain, for the inheritance of her eternal residence in her Father’s house and for her glorious reunions that are taking place in Heaven!
Sara is survived by one son, William S. Meck, husband of Susan M. (Hook), PA; one daughter, Karen K. Meck of Millersville, PA; her daughters-in-law, Dale B. Meck, wife of son, David (Deceased), of Hyde Park, New York, and Clarita N. Meck, wife of son, Daniel (Deceased), of Lancaster; nine grandchildren, Kristin L. Littlefield, Allison A. Horton, Michael D. Meck, and Matthew S. Meck, children of David (Deceased); JoAnna M. Gasparich and Jessica A. Nestler, children of William; Sheryl N. Meck, Michelle D. Meck and Joseph J. Meck, children of Daniel (Deceased); and six great-grandchildren, Leanne, Ethan, Lucas, Julian, Ace’on and Jayla.
Her family would like to thank Hospice and Community Care for their kind and caring support, especially Michelle Burke, her Nurse/Case Manager, Amy DeCola, her Personal Care Aide and Debbie Miley, the Hospice Chaplain, all of whom visited Sara on a regular basis. And, not to be forgotten, Sheila Steinberg, Sara’s CareGiver, to whom she affectionately referred as her “best friend,” from Independent Living Services. All of these people brought joy and comfort into Sara’s life.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Sara’s viewing to be held at the Ephrata Church of the Brethren, 201 Crescent Avenue, in Ephrata, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and her Celebration of Life, immediately following, at 1:00 pm, also at the church. Interment will be in the Mt. Zion Cemetery of the Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, PA.
Donations may be made in Sara’s memory to the “Ephrata Cloister Associates” or the “Student Historians” at the Ephrata Cloister, 632 West Main Street, Ephrata, PA 17522, to the “American Heart Association,” 610 Community Way, Lancaster, PA 17603, or to “Hospice and Community Care,” 685 Good Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.
Arrangements by Stradling Funeral Homes, Inc., Akron/Ephrata.
Sara was a member of the Ephrata Church of the Brethren and appreciated the visits by the deacons, when she was no longer able to attend, due to health concerns. A member of the Class of 1946, Sara graduated from Ephrata High School, where she met her future husband, Joseph Zerfass Meck, with whom she would have celebrated 70 years of marriage on June 2, 2016.
Sara began working at Doneckers of Ephrata, in 1965, where she enjoyed a career that spanned twenty-four and a half years, culminating in her position as Director of Advertising. Sara’s work was diverse and included coordinating fashion for customers, coordinating monthly mailers and copy for newspapers and proofreading and placing ads and programs.
Sara volunteered at the Ephrata Cloister. Along with her husband, she served as a coordinator for weddings held at the Ephrata Cloister for several years. She was awarded an Honorary Lifetime Membership in the Ephrata Cloister Associates. Sara also served as the secretary to the original Eberbach Sister City Committee.
She loved reading, gardening, shopping, house decorating, listening to music and attending concerts, cooking and baking, playing bridge and traveling.
A day of shopping for Sara was usually marked on her calendar with anticipation and excitement. It meant visiting her favorite stores, of which there were many. Whether in a store or at a Craft Show, leisurely strolling and searching for rustic crafts and treasures, with which to decorate her home for the changing seasons of the year, shopping was one of Sara’s joys. Going out to lunch and buying gourmet foods and fine chocolates were some of her guilty pleasures. It couldn’t be just any chocolate, it always had to be dark chocolate! And, of course, there were always the jaunts to bookstores for her books and to greenhouses for her flowers. Sara developed an interest in gardening and delighted her family with her beautiful, colorful flower gardens, which her husband helped to dig and cultivate.
An avid reader, Sara was never without a good book. She also loved all genres of music and enjoyed playing her favorite CD’s, often heard throughout the house. In her younger years, Sara played the piano and was the church organist for two years, while still a teenager. She loved to attend a good concert and was even caught dancing in the aisles at a concert, when she was in her 70’s!
Sara enjoyed traveling with her husband along the East and West Coasts, into the Southwest, throughout New England, to Nova Scotia and to Europe. One of her favorite trips was the annual vacation she and her husband took to Ogunquit, Maine, to celebrate 22 of their wedding anniversaries. Together, they enjoyed scenic walks along the rocky cliffs of the Marginal Way, seafood dinners in their favorite restaurants and visits to the shops in Perkins Cove. One year, Sara and her husband had the unexpected pleasure and surprise of meeting President George H. W. Bush (41) and Barbara Bush, whose Summer home was nearby in Kennebunkport, Maine. Upon returning home to Pennsylvania, Sara wrote a letter to the Bushes and sent them a picture of their chance meeting. The Bushes responded in kind with a letter to Sara and her husband and returned the photo with their autographs, which became a great conversation-piece and souvenir. Sara enjoyed several trips to Europe with her husband, where they visited Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Netherlands. A trip with her daughter, Karen, to Germany, and another trip to visit her son, David, his wife, Dale, and their sons, while living in France, as well as a side trip to London, were all highlights of her life.
Sara was young at heart, ready for new adventures, and willing to learn and grow. She was fun-loving, always full of life, love and laughter! Kind and caring, she had a generous spirit and gave from her heart. Sara was a loving wife and Mother, who will be greatly missed by her family. While we grieve for our loss, we are happy for her gain, for the inheritance of her eternal residence in her Father’s house and for her glorious reunions that are taking place in Heaven!
Sara is survived by one son, William S. Meck, husband of Susan M. (Hook), PA; one daughter, Karen K. Meck of Millersville, PA; her daughters-in-law, Dale B. Meck, wife of son, David (Deceased), of Hyde Park, New York, and Clarita N. Meck, wife of son, Daniel (Deceased), of Lancaster; nine grandchildren, Kristin L. Littlefield, Allison A. Horton, Michael D. Meck, and Matthew S. Meck, children of David (Deceased); JoAnna M. Gasparich and Jessica A. Nestler, children of William; Sheryl N. Meck, Michelle D. Meck and Joseph J. Meck, children of Daniel (Deceased); and six great-grandchildren, Leanne, Ethan, Lucas, Julian, Ace’on and Jayla.
Her family would like to thank Hospice and Community Care for their kind and caring support, especially Michelle Burke, her Nurse/Case Manager, Amy DeCola, her Personal Care Aide and Debbie Miley, the Hospice Chaplain, all of whom visited Sara on a regular basis. And, not to be forgotten, Sheila Steinberg, Sara’s CareGiver, to whom she affectionately referred as her “best friend,” from Independent Living Services. All of these people brought joy and comfort into Sara’s life.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend Sara’s viewing to be held at the Ephrata Church of the Brethren, 201 Crescent Avenue, in Ephrata, on Tuesday, April 11, 2023, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm, and her Celebration of Life, immediately following, at 1:00 pm, also at the church. Interment will be in the Mt. Zion Cemetery of the Ephrata Cloister, Ephrata, PA.
Donations may be made in Sara’s memory to the “Ephrata Cloister Associates” or the “Student Historians” at the Ephrata Cloister, 632 West Main Street, Ephrata, PA 17522, to the “American Heart Association,” 610 Community Way, Lancaster, PA 17603, or to “Hospice and Community Care,” 685 Good Drive, Lancaster, PA 17601.
Arrangements by Stradling Funeral Homes, Inc., Akron/Ephrata.