Marie Bernice Buller
1907 - 2017
Obituary
Marie Bernice (Janes) Buller, 109, died
on Wednesday (March 22, 2017) at Schowalter Villa in Hesston.
She was born on Sept. 30, 1907, on a
farm near Goltry, Oklahoma. Her parents were Elizabeth (Kroeker) and
Albert Carol Janes.
At the age of 109, Marie lived through
many historical events. She lived through 19 presidents, the roll-out
of the automobile, the Women's Suffrage movement, the Roaring 20s,
the Great Depression, World War II, the Cold War, the Civil Rights
movement, a man landing on the moon, the Watergate scandal and the
technological revolution in progress.
Marie was born as one of eight children
and grew up on a farm in Oklahoma. She lived in town with her brother
and sister, Lester and Mabel, during the school week, and on the
weekend, they returned home to help on the farm and be with their
family. She graduated from Goltry High School in 1927. She enjoyed
learning and her two favorite subjects were arithmetic and spelling.
It was important to Marie to stay sharp and educated.
While she was still in high school, she
met her husband, John, and they married shortly after graduation.
Marie was 19 when they married. He was a hard worker, a farmer and a
very kind man. They worked as a team, helping each other with each
aspect of farming and making their life together.
Marie and John had two children to this
marriage. They were married for six years and 16 days before they
started a family. At the age of 29, Marie's daughter Norma died. Two
years later, her son Delbert B. was born.
Marie and John moved their family to
Fort Scott in 1954. After two years, they then moved to Newton. While
in Newton, Marie started working for Bethel Hospital as a nurse's
aide. Soon after, they moved her to the surgical ward. Marie loved
helping others and was wonderful with patients. After her retirement,
at the age of 65, Marie kept herself busy.
She was an avid KU basketball fan and
even received several birthday cards from Bill Self. While she was in
high school, Marie even played basketball and fell in love with the
sport instantly. She also enjoyed knitting, crocheting, sewing and,
recently, the young children from the Hesston Child Care Center.
After John died, Marie lived alone for
nearly 20 years. She decided that being alone was not what was best
for her. She moved to Schowalter Villa in 2014.
During her lifetime, she was also
employed by the Hillsdale school district in the lunchroom, the
telephone office and was the owner of a gas station in Hillsdale, all
in Oklahoma.
Preceding her in death were her
parents, her loving husband John; son, Delbert; daughter, Norma; four
brothers, Clyde, Lester, Leonard, Fay E. Janes; and sisters, Mabel
Janes, Helen Pekrul and Lorene T. Unruh.
Survivors include her granddaughter,
Judy (Ed) DeWitt of Hesston; grandson, Scott Buller of Red Oak,
Texas; granddaughter, Marcy (Monte) Lagree of Newton;
great-grandchildren, Jennifer (Nic) Esquivel, Tara Jacobs and Chris
Jacobs, and Wayne Buller and Wendy Buller; great-great-grandchildren,
Aidan, Isabella Marie and Isaac Esquivel, Chloe Bunn, Javin Jacobs
and Braxton Swarts; and many nieces; nephews and cousins.
Visitation will be from 1 to 8 p.m. on
Friday (March 24, 2017) at Broadway Colonial Funeral Home. The family
will greet visitors from 6 to 8 p.m.
Funeral Services will be at 4 p.m. at
Schowalter Villa Chapel in Hesston on Saturday (March 25, 2017).
Burial will be on Sunday (March 26,
2017) at 2 p.m. at the Goltry Cemetery in Goltry, Oklahoma.
Memorials may be made to the First
Church of the Nazarene, Good Shepard Hospice or Schowalter Villa, all
in care of the funeral home at 120 E. Broadway, Newton, KS 67114.
Friends may sign the book online at
www.broadwaycolonialfh.com
1907 - 2017 (109 years)