Where are you located, both nearest large city and USDA growing zone?

PA, zone 6A.....near Reading and Allentown

Look at some of the redbud cultivars.

Dogwoods, either cultivars of Cornus Florida or Cornus Kousa might work.

If you are willing to have large shrubs, look at some of the bigger cultivars of Hydrangea paniculata or Viburnum plicatum cultivars, though either can be limbed to to create a small tree form.

I'm thinking you might grow just a couple or so apples. What your family enjoyed the most. I'm thinking if you grew two apples on a semi-full rootstock like M111 that the trees would live longer. They root better in clay and grow faster. It's true you get fruit sooner with dwarfs. But from my experience you do get get fruit sooner, a few per year. If use a pole trimmer and keep them from growing up, but allow them to spread you'll be able to pick easily.

Some nurseries tell you what rootstock they use and some like Fedco give you a choice. That seller is done shipping for this year tho.

Agree with NHBabs' suggestions. And lilacs. :)

Love Japanese maples in Pennsylvania.

I suspect the apple tree simply ran its course. It was, after all, over 30 years old. I really don't want to do another apple. We already have a decent-sized japanese maple up farther in the yard, plus have lots of lilacs not far from this dead tree. A large hydrangea is an interesting suggestion, as is possibly a redbud or dogwood. Thanks for the ideas!

30 years old is quite young for an apple. Many can live to a 100 years or more if well taken care of. I'd suspect there was some other issue going on that caused an earlier than usual demise.

This was a Stark Bros. (grafted) dwarf though. I'm seeing a lifespan of not much more than 30 years in various websites.

Trees on dwarf rootstock do not have as long a lifespan as trees on standard rootstock, so there are some trade-offs. Not surprising your dwarf apple trees only made it 30 years, but if they were not on dwarf rootstock they might be way too big right now.

As for what to replant with, I have many possible suggestions, but you may not find them at your local nursery.

So it's impossible to give you specific suggestions other than the most common standard trees you'd be likely to find at your local store. Which probably isn't a very big selection.