Former Teacher and Community Advocate Killed by Bus in Doylestown

Katherine Semisch, a retired Central Bucks West High School English teacher and community advocate known as Kitty, was killed when a Doylestown Area Regional Transit bus hit her beside the Doylestown library branch on November 2. She was 67.

Police said Semisch was crossing the circular roadway in front of the library at about 3 p.m. as the bus went around it. She was taken to Doylestown Hospital and later died. The coroner classified the death as accidental.

The Bucks County District Attorney’s Office is investigating the crash. Semisch taught at Central Bucks West for more than 20 years, retired in 2021 and remained involved in school board meetings. She also held a position with the Bucks County Planned Parenthood Association.

Her work with young people in the community included supporting the Rainbow Room, a Doylestown nonprofit serving LGBTQ+ youth. Semisch’s community involvement also appeared in the PBS series “Bucks County, USA,” about political tensions in Central Bucks schools amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The series’ producers and the Rainbow Room shared tributes after her death.

The November 2 crash is the second fatal incident this year involving a DART bus. Prosecutors are also investigating an August 12 crash that killed 83-year-old Ronald Davenport in Doylestown. A spokesperson for the district attorney said both investigations remain open and active.