SALLY BROWER

Sally Leyenberger Brower Loved books and stories as a girl in Ridgewood and later captivated children in Florida as party planner and costumed storyteller, 71 Sally Leyenberger Brower of Delray Beach, Fla., passed away suddenly on April 30, 2015, at the age of 71. Sally was born in Schuykill County, Pa., and grew up in Ridgewood, N.J. She moved to Florida with her beloved husband, Emanuel "Manny" Brower, in 1972. Sally was a person of many talents and many interests which led her down several career paths. Her love of books began early at her mother's knee and grew throughout her life. She successfully managed multiple bookstores both in New Jersey and in Florida. She continued her life in books by working for a time for the Palm Beach County Library System and by volunteering with the Literacy Coalition of Palm Beach County. Her superior business sense led her to work for a time as an accountant for a landscaping firm. She was good at all these jobs. In later years, she worked as a customer service representative at Levenger, and she had recently retired as a background security investigator with G4S Secure Solutions. For more than a decade -- and while she worked at other jobs -- she was an enormously skilled and successful newspaper carrier in Palm Beach County. The care she gave the clients on her routes was unparalleled. She found her real calling, however, when she began to tell stories to children. She loved it; the children loved it. In 1988, that storytelling grew into Pretend Party Productions, a wildly popular business that allowed Sally to don character costumes -- the Big Red Dog, Sally the Chef, a butterfly, a rabbit, and many others -- and offer lessons in nature, science, human relationships and more in local libraries and at private parties and events. Attending workshops and reading extensively to hone her craft became her passion, and her Pretend Party Productions van was a familiar sight around southern Florida. Sally loved all animals, but none as much as her rescued Dalmatians. She saved many dogs through the years, and her beloved, Daisy, was with her when she died. When she was not delighting children with her storytelling, Sally was enjoying her beautiful home, reading voraciously, listening to music, and sharing her life with her friends. She lived life fully. Sally was predeceased by her husband, Manny Brower, and her parents, Alden and Viola Leyenberger. She is survived by her sister, Emily Leyenberger Pfohl and her husband, Bob, of Buffalo, N.Y.; her brother, John Harry Leyenberger of Madison, Wis., and her brother, Lawrence Arthur Leyenberger and his wife, Kathleen Hunter, of Morris Plains, N.J. A celebration of Sally's life will be held at the Gary Panoch Funeral Home, 6140 N. Federal Highway, Boca Raton, Fla. 33487 at 7 p.m. on Thursday, May 7, 2015. Instead of flowers, donations may be made in Sally's memory to Dalmatian Rescue, Inc., P.O. Box 640108, North Miami Beach, Fla. 33164.