Rev. Curtis W. Dubble

December 28, 2020

The Reverend Curtis W. Dubble, 98, of Lititz, PA, died Monday, December 28, 2020 at Brethren Village where he resided. He was a man who deeply loved God and deeply loved people. His personal relationship to God was central to the way he lived and responded to life. His life of service as an ordained minister and spiritual leader in the Church of the Brethren was predicated on the belief that God’s love is expressed through our human relationship with one another. Curtis Dubble was born in 1922 to a rural Pennsylvania Dutch family within a Brethren faith and farming community in Reistville, PA. His parents were William Reno Dubble and Estella Mae Crouse Dubble. He was the middle son of 5 children. All his siblings have pre-deceased him. He graduated from Elizabethtown College in 1949 and Bethany Theological Seminary in Chicago in 1952. He was granted an Honorary Doctor of Divinity at Elizabethtown College in 1974. In 1944, Curtis married the love of his life and his spiritual life partner, Anna Mary Forney. Together they raised 3 beloved daughters: Sharon Dubble, Cindy Dubble and Peentz (Connie) Dubble. In addition, Curtis received much joy from spending time with his two treasured granddaughters, Japhia Mirin Kendall and Anya Dubble Olson. After an extraordinary life of love and service, Anna Mary passed away in 2003. Curtis accepted the call to serve several full-time pastorates including Brethren congregations in Canton, Ohio; Westminster, Maryland; York, PA; Lampeter, PA; and Lancaster, PA. He retired from full-time pastoral work in 1998. Reverend Dubble was also an inspirational leader regionally and nationally within the Brethren denomination. This included service to Bethany Seminary Board, General Board of the Church of the Brethren and serving as Moderator of the Church of the Brethren Annual Conference in 1990. Curtis was a man who listened deeply, took time to reflect and ponder, and then spoke passionately from his heart. He was a man of nature, who was drawn to the beauty and quiet inherent in nature’s splendor. He enjoyed daily walks and was an avid gardener. Curtis was a person who laughed with unbridled joy, whether playing a wicked game of badminton, volleyball, Ping-Pong, or Aggravation! There was a visible light within him that yearned to connect with the light within another. Curtis took joy in lighting the spark of recognition or curiosity within each person with whom he engaged. He was a teacher and mentor for the youth, young adults and new pastors, and a source of inspiration for many who met him throughout his life. Curtis was lovingly cared for and supported by all the wonderful staff at Brethren Village in his final years. He passed from this earth peacefully, surrounded by the music he so loved, while in Hospice care at BV Rehab Center on December 28, 2020. A Memorial Service to celebrate his life will be scheduled at a later date when all can safely join together. In lieu of cards or flowers, donations in his name may be sent to the Good Samaritan Fund at Brethren Village, Lititz, PA. https://www.bv.org/giving/make-a-donation.