Dr. A. Loren Amacher

Dr. A. Loren Amacher, 79, of Lewisburg, passed away on Tuesday, November 21, 2017, at his home. He was born October 22, 1938, in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada, a son of the late Reverend Arthur and Martha (Neibergall) Amacher. On September 30, 1961, he married the former Jane Tomlinson, who survives. Together they celebrated 56 years of marriage.

Dr. Amacher graduated with honors from the University of Western Ontario, where he obtained his medical degree in 1962. After completing his residency at Victoria Hospital in London, Ontario, in 1970, he became a member of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Western Ontario, becoming Chief of the Division of Pediatric Surgery. He subsequently moved to Connecticut, where he served as Clinical Professor in the Department of Surgery, Division of Neurosurgery and was appointed Professor of Surgery at the University of Connecticut Faculty of Medicine. In 1987, Loren became a member of the Department of Neurosurgery at the Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, where he served for 17 years, after which he served six years at Evangelical Community Hospital in Lewisburg before retiring.

During his professional career, Loren’s lectures, seminars, and workshops took him to Madras, Singapore, Australia, Great Britain, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Yemen, Spain, Austria, and Denmark in addition to universities and medical schools in the United States and Canada. He published extensively in the field of pediatric neurology, producing articles, abstracts, conference proceedings, commentaries, books, and book chapters. His main areas of interest were head injury, cerebral metabolism, and cerebral aneurysms. He was a member of many professional organizations, including the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Canadian Neurosurgical Society, the International Society for Pediatric Neurosurgery, the American College of Surgeons, and the Pennsylvania Neurological Society.

Loren had many interests and talents, ranging from astronomy to the arts. A prolific reader and writer, in his private life he wrote a great deal of poetry and personal reflections. He contributed regularly to a group called the Writing Circle which met for 25 years and also actively engaged participants in the Genesis discussion class at Beaver Memorial United Methodist Church. Loren did not suffer fools silently and often responded with an enthusiastic “Absolute nonsense!” on hearing illogical or sappy generations put forward as explanations.

Music was another of Loren’s talents.  Singing was a great joy for him, and for many years he was a member of the choir at Beaver Memorial and the Susquehanna Valley Chorale. He played the piano and was a loyal supporter of the arts in general and the Weis Center in particular.

His association with Bucknell University was evident in other areas as well.  Loren was an avid Bison sports follower, especially the basketball team, which the Amachers hosted for Thanksgiving dinner many times. Their house was a second home for many students throughout the years.  He also enjoyed taking and teaching classes for the Bucknell Institute for Lifelong Learning.  One area of particular interest for him in these classes was medical ethics, and he continued to serve on Evangelical Community Hospital’s Bio-ethics Committee during his retirement.

Aside from his involvement in Lewisburg life, Loren greatly enjoyed spending time in the Victoria, British Columbia, area with his sons, daughter-in-law, and two grandchildren.  Fishing at a lake property in Ontario and enjoying the view of the bay from their porch in Mill Bay, British Columbia, were highlights of those visits.

Surviving in addition to his wife Jane are two sons and one daughter-in-law, Jon Amacher of Mill Bay, British Columbia and Marc and Tracy Amacher of Victoria, British Columnbia; one brother and sister-in-law, Dennis and Diane Amacher of Perth Road Village, Ontario; two grandsons, Liam and Riley Amacher; and three nieces and one nephew. In addition to his parents, he was predeceased by one son, Scott Amacher.

The family would like to thank Dr. Mayur Patel and the staff of the Geisinger Cancer Clinic and Dr. David Zelechoski of Evangelical Community Hospital.  Deep appreciation and gratitude go to the special caregivers who attended Loren during his illness—Judy Bower and Sharon Miller—and to the many friends who supported both Loren and Jane in myriad ways.

If people are so inclined, donations may be made to the Bucknell University Association for the Arts and the Bucknell Institute for Lifelong Learning, both at Bucknell University, One Dent Drive, Lewisburg, PA 17837 (specify in memo the program); to the Susquehanna Valley Chorale, P.O. Box 172, Lewisburg, PA 17837; and Evangelical Community Hospital, Development Office, One Hospital Drive, Lewisburg, PA 17837. A celebration of Loren’s life will take place at a later date in the spring.

The family is being assisted by Cronrath-Grenoble Funeral Home, S. Second and St. Louis Streets, Lewisburg. Expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.cronrathgrenoblefuneralhome.com .

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