Fairl (Eagle) Zurbuchen, 84, of Yellow Springs, Ohio, passed away December 22, 2023, at her home after “living a long, energetic, very active and fulfilling life.”
Born in northwest Virginia to Paul and Grace Eagle, she was one of five children. Her father nicknamed her “Squirrel” for running up mountains with him. The family relocated to Ohio in the mid-1950s.
She graduated top of her West Carrollton High School class and delivered the commencement address. In 1958, she married John Zurbuchen, whom she’d known since high school. They settled in Yellow Springs in 1962 and remained there throughout their lives.
An engaged community member, Zurbuchen joined the League of Women Voters, participated in civil rights activism, served on the Village Planning Commission, and championed the local income tax initiative. She worked at Antioch College in various administrative capacities and completed her BA in 1980 and MBA in 1983, becoming “the only woman in the Operations Management class.”
She taught adult students at Vermont College for a decade, later earning her CPA certification in 1993. She established an accounting practice as a financial advisor and tax preparer, describing tax season as a “yearly check-up” for clients.
Described as “a complex person with an expansive range of interests,” she was spiritually connected to her Cherokee heritage and passionate about hiking, particularly in the Great Smoky Mountains.
She was preceded in death by her mother, father, sister Jewell, and brother Hansel. She leaves her husband of 65 years, two children, three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.