Bryan H. Bunch died at age 88 at his home in Pleasant Valley on March 11, from congestive heart failure. He was an accomplished editor and writer who published books on a remarkable array of subjects, from mathematical paradoxes and scientific almanacs to a young readers' biography of Archimedes. He was also deeply involved in the civic life of Dutchess County, in groups ranging from the Pleasant Valley Public Library to the Rotary Foundation to Alcoholics Anonymous.

Bryan was born on Dec. 19, 1936, to Alfred Bryan Bunch and Arline Hammond Bunch, in St. Louis, Mo. He moved at a young age to Peoria, Ill., where he excelled at Central High School in academics as well as drama and music. He won a full scholarship for Illinois students to Trinity College in Hartford, Ct., where he'd planned to study math but again found himself pulled toward the writing life, ultimately majoring in English while editing a literary magazine and co-writing a musical. He would later study math as a graduate student at New York University and also taught at Pace University.

On school breaks during his senior year, he met and fell in love with his family's new next-door neighbor, Marianne ("Mary") Blender, which would lead to their nearly 67-year marriage. After teaching high school for a year in little Tonica, Ill., the newlyweds moved to New York City for Bryan to launch a career in publishing. After a brief stint with Grolier's Book of Knowledge, he found a job editing school textbooks for a major publishing house, Harcourt, Brace & World. In 15 years there, he rose to become associate director of the school department, then left in 1975 to become editor-in-chief of another textbook firm, American Book Company.

In 1980, he shifted gears to become a freelance writer, editor and publishing consultant. Over the next four decades, he wrote or produced books ranging from the popular Timetables of Science and the STEM Chronology to Mathematical Fallacies and Paradoxes to his extensively researched Eureka: The Adventures of Young Archimedes. He later wrote his autobiography, Entangled, and was working on a novelized account of his mother's life until shortly before his death.

In 1995, Bryan and Mary moved from their longtime home in Westchester County to a 6-acre property in Pleasant Valley where they could indulge their passion for gardening. He also enjoyed fishing, travel, listening to jazz, and rooting for the football Giants. Although he was a newcomer to Dutchess County, he threw himself into civic life and served terms as president of the Pleasant Valley Library Board, Millbrook Rotary, and the MARC Foundation, which promotes prevention and recovery from substance abuse. In 1991, he joined Alcoholics Anonymous and remained active for the rest of his life.

Bryan was predeceased by his parents and his sister, Barbara Fields. He is survived by his wife Mary, his three children, Will, Sally, and Jim Bunch; his six grandchildren, Julia. Jesse, Zoe, Julian and Toby Bunch and Fabian McCarthy; and his brother, Dale Bunch, as well as nieces and nephews.

A funeral service will be held on Monday, March 17, at 2 p.m., at Grace Episcopal Church, 3330 Franklin Avenue, Millbrook. Donations in his name would be appreciated by the MARC Foundation (marcfoundation.org) or the Rotary Foundation ( rotary.org/en/donate ).