After just over a decade with Palmerton Area School District, Parkside/S.S. Palmer Principal Mary Brumbach is retiring.

Palmerton’s school board unanimously accepted her request Tuesday night.

“Mary is a very dear friend,” director Tammy Recker said. “She’s been a wonderful asset to the district even through some of the toughest times both personally and professionally.”

Brumbach stepped away prior to the 2020-21 school year following a cancer diagnosis.

Recker described her as a fierce leader who never backs down from her word or what is in the best interest of her staff and students.

“She isn’t afraid to tell it like it is,” Recker said. “Mary is a strong woman who empowers other women. She never accepts the word can’t and her perseverance really showed in her most recent battle with cancer. She never stopped looking to conquer it.”

Michelle Gordon thanked Brumbach on behalf of the S.S. Palmer/Parkside parent teacher organization.

“The organization couldn’t have done what it did over the past 10 years without her dedication,” Gordon said. “She’s become a great friend to me over the years. When my family moved here seven years ago, she welcomed us with open arms.”

Brumbach came to Palmerton in 2010 after a stint as assistant principal at Nottingham Elementary School in the Oxford Area School District.

“I know this was a tough decision for Mary, but it was the right one,” Recker said regarding Brumbach’s retirement. “She will forever be a part of the Palmerton family.”