Elwood W. Rush

This obituary ran in The Intelligencer today. "Woody was a direct descendant of Jacob Wismer, an original settler of Bedminster Township in Bucks County. The son of the late Barbara (Wismer) and J. Paul Rush, he was born and raised on the family farm on Applebutter Road near Dublin."

Elwood W. Rush

Elwood W. 'Woody' Rush passed away Sunday, Jan. 20, 2013, surrounded by his family at Grand View Hospital in West Rockhill Township. He was 83.

He is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Shirley Anne (Spanninger). They celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on June 7, 2012.

He also is survived by their four children and nine grandchildren. They are Rebecca Lynne, wife of Neal Ream, of Allentown, and their two sons, Sean, married to Marina, and Chris, married to Kelly; Hilton LeRoy 'Lee' of Perkasie and his wife, Kathy, and their daughter, Sage; David Brooke of Perkasie and his wife, Robin, and their three sons, Corey, Harrison and Ian; and Thomas Jay of Gladwyne and his wife, Meriam Zandi and their three children, Emily, Nathan and Katie.

Woody was preceded in death by his fourth and youngest son, Elwood James 'Jim' Rush, in 1986.

Woody was a direct descendent of Jacob Wismer, an original settler of Bedminster Township in Bucks County. The son of the late Barbara (Wismer) and J. Paul Rush, he was born and raised on the family farm on Applebutter Road near Dublin.

He was preceded in death by four of his siblings, Wilmer, Howard, Elsie (Godshall) and Molly (Overholt).

He also is survived by his two youngest siblings, Nelson, husband of Bertha, and Adeline (Addie), wife of Robert Gehman.



Woody was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1951 during the Korean War era. Shortly thereafter, during a training exercise, he suffered a life-changing injury that resulted in the near total loss of his hearing. He recovered at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C., and was later deployed to serve in Germany for one year.

After completing his military service, Woody began a life-long career with the Sherwin Williams Paint Company, starting out as a salesman for the Doylestown branch. He later became the branch manager in Norristown, and finished his career managing the Lansdale branch. After completing 35 years of service, he retired in 1992. Woody was widely known and respected throughout the company.

Woody and Shirley moved to Blooming Glen in 1952, and lived there for 58 years before moving to the Rockhill Mennonite Community in Sellersville in 2010.

Woody was a member of St. Luke's United Church of Christ, Dublin, where he taught Sunday school and served as president of the church consistory. He also served on St. Luke's Union Cemetery Committee for many years.

Active in his community, he was a member of the Hilltown Township School Board, before the Pennridge School District consolidated all of its member boards. He served as a charter member and later treasurer of the Pennridge Republican Club, and also as a charter member of the Blooming Glen Playground Association.

His interests included hunting, stamp collecting, collecting antiques and attending sales.

His greatest love during his retirement was helping out on the Marwell dairy farm in Coopersburg, Pa., owned by his sister and brother-in-law, Addie and Robert Gehman. His family extends heartfelt thanks to the Gehman family for giving him the opportunity to spend time doing what he loved most.

Family and friends are invited to attend his funeral services 11 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 26, in St. Luke's United Church of Christ, 141 S. Main St., Dublin. Interment will be in St. Luke's Union Cemetery, Dublin. Friends may callfrom 7 to 9 p.m. Friday at Bernard Suess Funeral Home, 606 Arch Street, Perkasie or 9:30 to 10:45 a.m. Saturday, at the church.

Memorial contributions may be made to the church at the address above.

To share your fondest memories of Woody, you may visit the Web site at www.carepages.com/carepages/EWR. Bernard Suess Funeral Home