The Obituary, originally published in the Daily Item, August 1,2014

LEWISBURG — Claudia Neva Ebeling, 62, of South Seventh Street, passed away from cancer early Tuesday morning, July 29, 2014, at RiverWoods, Lewisburg. Her husband, James Leitner, was by her side.

She was born Aug. 14, 1951, in San Francisco, a daughter of Charles W. Ebeling and the late Valerie (Turner) Ebeling.  Her family moved east to Connecticut in 1961. She was a 1969 graduate of Staples High School, Westport, and graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in English from Susquehanna University in 1973.

On April 8, 1988, Claudia married her long-time companion, James M. Leitner, who survives. They met while attending Susquehanna, and their relationship spanned 40 years. Together, they enjoyed cooking, gardening, tending to their pet cats, biking, walking, and traveling as often as possible to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Her love of organic gardening and cooking skills made her home an entertaining hub for friends and family. She particularly loved reading books, and writing her impressions in her journals as she finished each one.

In 1979, Claudia began her career with the Pennsylvania Governor’s School of Excellence, as Assistant to the State Director. She truly enjoyed the challenges and rewards of  these programs, which she worked with for 29 years, through the Central Susquehanna Intermediate Unit. Following the closing of the PGSE programs, she moved to the CSIU’s Keystone Purchasing Network. Claudia is fondly remembered by past students and employees for her caring attitude and focused dedication. Until the time of her illness, she had also been an active member of the Bull Run Neighborhood Committee in Lewisburg.

Claudia has been the sole book reviewer for Bucknell for more than 30 years. She began working for Bucknell World reviewing books in 1982 and subsequently reviewed books, film, and music for Bucknell Magazine. Her years of service to Bucknell are incomparable — she has been a close and considerate reader of thousands of books written by Bucknell alumni and faculty. Her intellect, wit, and clear sightedness were well appreciated; she will be remembered fondly and missed deeply.

In addition to her husband, she is survived by her father and his wife, Norene, of West Palm Beach, Fla.; her father-in-law, Carl Leitner, of Lewisburg; her younger sister, Suzanne Urban, and brother-in-law, Mike Urban, of Windsor, Conn.; and stepbrother, George Schreck, of Portland, Ore.

Friends and relatives will be received from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Tuesday at the John H. Shaw III Funeral Home, Market and Eighth streets, Lewisburg, followed by a celebration of Claudia’s life at 12:30. Inurnment will follow in the Lewisburg Cemetery; In lieu of flowers, the family asks donations be made in Claudia’s memory to The Public Library for Union County, 255 Reitz Blvd., Lewisburg, PA 17837.

The link is here:

http://obituaries.dailyitem.com/story/Claudia-Ebeling-1951-2014-753405771

In addition to her mother, Claudia was preceded in death by her maternal aunt Neva (Turner) Vogel and her husband Peter, as well as her cousin Peter Vogel Jr.   She is also survived by her cousins Helen Vogel, Ruth Vogel, Valerie Vogel, John Vogel and Tim Vogel.