Nancy S. (Butler) Bruck

Nancy departed this life Sunday, December 28, 2025, after a brief battle with cancer. She was born on December 29, 1946, to Bayless and Mary (Romer) Butler and big sister Leontine and grew up a stone's throw from her grandparents. She attended St. Agnes School and Julianne High School before graduating in 1965 and heading off to St. Mary-of-the-Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. There she met her husband, Morgan, and proudly earned her journalism degree in 1969. Morg and Nancy were married on December 20, 1969 and had four wonderful daughters and six brilliant grandchildren.

Her lifelong love of reading meant she could frequently be found with the latest thriller in her hand and a cat on her lap. Nancy put that love of books to good use as a librarian with the Dayton Metro Library, where she worked in adult services and as head of the fiction committee, with her fellow Fiction Goddesses. Nancy retired from the library system in 2014 after 40 years, with a further 5 years at the West Deptford Library while the family lived in Woodbury, New Jersey.

When not devouring the newest Steven King, Nancy could often be found baking treats for various friends, family, or the next church event. She was a naturally gifted baker and also loved trying “new and different taste treats”, with only a few questionable choices recorded.

Nancy also found contentment in her time spent on the Altar Guild at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she worked in various leadership roles from 1994 until 2023. In addition, she was known to put her prolific knitting knowledge to use to make prayer shawls for those in her church community. Her desire to be of service and her devotion to her alma mater also pushed Nancy and Morg to establish an outdoor classroom at the La Fer lake habitat, ensuring her love of nature and learning would inspire students for years to come.

Nancy leaves behind her husband of 56 years, Morgan; daughters Diane (Ryan) Roteman, Kate Bruck (Rich Lagala), Alison (Robert) Eisiminger, and Ingrid (Nathan) Bush; Grandchildren Jacob Roteman, Ethan Roteman, Samuel Roteman, Charlotte Bush, Thomas Bush, and Walker Eisiminger; sister Tine and brother-in-law Larry Ens; nephew Matthew (Twyla), and nieces Laura and Sarah; as well as countless friends and family. She is preceded in death by her parents Bayless and Mary.

The family will receive friends on Sunday, January 11, 2026, from 2-6 PM at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E. Stroop Rd. in Kettering. Services will take place at Christ Episcopal Church at 20 W. First St. at 10 AM Monday, January 12, 2026, followed by internment at Calvary Cemetery. Family and friends are then invited to return to Christ Episcopal Church for a brief reception.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the institutions that meant to most to Nancy:

St. Mary-of-the-Woods College

SICSA Pet Adoption and Wellness Center

Food Bank of Dayton