Lucy Marie Brubaker

Lucy Marie Brubaker, 73, of Callaway, was greeted with a joyous homecoming in heaven on June 10, 2020. She was able to have her wish of leaving this life in the beloved home where she was born July 7, 1946, the ninth of ten children of Isaac William Brubaker and Mary Viola Slayton Brubaker. In addition to her beloved parents, Marie was preceded in death by her siblings Lewis, Henry, and George Brubaker and Mary Lucas; and brothers-and sister-in-law Betty Brubaker, Elmer Lucas, Homer Graham, Francis Slough, Paul Childress, and Wayne Wells. She was also preceded in death by nieces Donna Lucas and Louann Brubaker Allard, and nephews Edwin Lucas and Alan Mullins. Marie is survived by her sisters Ruth Graham, Lorine Slough, Ruby Wells, Betty (Henry) Wagner, and Gracie (Jesse) Mullins, and by her sisters-in-law Peggy Brubaker and Norene Brubaker. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews, who were blessed by her kindness and guidance over the years. Marie attended Ferrum College, East Carolina University, and Meredith College. She retired from the Social Security Administration and then a second time from the National Humanities Center, both in Durham, North Carolina. Marie could be found teaching a niece or nephew to drive her car (or a tractor!), or how to navigate an estate sale with an expert eye. She could navigate the needs of research fellows writing books at the National Humanities Center as easily as sharing thoughts about the season’s prospects for her beloved UNC Tarheels. She loved music and the outdoors and banana splits but most of all, her family. Her car contained what her nieces and nephews would have called a “magic trunk,” as it always seemed to contain toys or other treasures for them. Seeing her car in the driveway was cause for great excitement, and her joy in giving you anything she had was readily apparent. Our Ree was one of a kind, and she will be dearly missed. At Marie’s request, her services are private. Arrangements by Conner-Bowman Funeral Home, Rocky Mount. www.connerbowman.com