Gladys Bucher Sowers, 93, of Champaign, Illinois, and formerly of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2025, at Clark-Lindsey Retirement Home. Born in South Lebanon Township, Pennsylvania, she was the daughter of the late Richard B. and Helen Weierbach Bucher. Gladys was the loving wife of Edwin U. Sowers III, who passed away in 2012.
Gladys attended Drexel University, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in business administration, and furthered her education at Pepperdine University, obtaining her master’s degree in human resources management. She taught school in Lebanon County and later worked in human resources for the United States Government.
Gladys was deeply interested in the history of Lebanon, through both Salem Lutheran Church, of which she was a longstanding member, and the Lebanon County Historical Society. She published a number of books, available through Masthof Press (masthof.com), collating historical records of Lebanon County. She was a longstanding member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. She was a juried artist, specializing in early American decorative arts. She was also interested in genealogy and had traced her ancestry for many generations. She had many and varied interests and never tired of learning new things. Her ceaseless enthusiasm has inspired many.
Gladys is survived by her son, Dr. Richard Bucher Sowers, husband of Dr. Svetlana Vranic-Sowers, of Champaign, Illinois; granddaughters, Veronika and Rebeka; and sisters, Marian Kurtz, of Rexmont, and Sara Ann Seibert, of Elizabethtown. Gladys is also survived by her brother-in-law, Christopher H. Sowers, and wife, Margaret A., of Lebanon, Pennsylvania; and sister-in-law, Linda Kissel, of East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania.
Relatives and friends are respectfully invited to attend a memorial service in honor of Gladys, on Thursday, Nov. 20, 2025, at 2 p.m. Visitation will immediately follow the service. Interment will be private in Mount Lebanon Cemetery, where she will be laid to rest beside her beloved husband.
In lieu of flowers, donations in memory of Gladys Sowers, may be made to any of the following: Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church (in memory of Gladys Sowers), Salem Preservation Fund, 119 N. Eighth St., Lebanon, PA 17406, Lebanon Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, c/o Brynn McCurdy, 1728 Old Forge Road, Annville, PA 17003-9124, or to the Lebanon County Historical Society, via lebanoncountyhistory.org.
