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Cleveland High School Washington University

BETTE BUFFA Obituary

Bette (nee Meyer) Buffa entered the Life Triumphant on January 16, 2011, with her loved ones at her side. Very dear wife of 59 years to Henry Andrew Vincent Buffa; loving mother and mother in law of Robert (Sue) Buffa, Scott (Delores) Buffa, Allison (Bill) Shaw and Barbara (Scott) Buchanan; doted on by her 12 grandchildren, Tara (Jay), Ben (Chelsea), Roselynn, Andrew II, Scott Jr., Andrew, Abby, Nathaniel, Sarah Hayley, Kelli, Kirsten Leigh, and Evan, and 5 great grandchildren, Cheyene, Taos, Lily, Leah, and Henry; preceded in death by her husband, Henry Andrew Vincent Buffa, and parents, Elmer and Edith Meyer, and survived by her sister, Eleanor Prunkard; dear Aunt and Cousin, and valued by her loyal family. Bette was an attorney-at-law, and a teacher. She graduated Valedictorian in her class at Grover Cleveland High School. She received her Juris Doctrate from Washington University in St. Louis, graduating Valedictorian of her class at age 20. She was a member of the Order of the Coif and a recipient of the Samuel Breckenridge Law Prize. She was an exemplary member of the Missouri Bar since admission to the practice of law in 1947. She was licensed to practice law before the United States Supreme Court in 1976. She was an attorney for Monsanto Chemical Company in St. Louis for twenty years. She was a member of the American Bar Association, the Bar Association of Greater St. Louis, and the Women Lawyers Association of Greater St. Louis. She was a member of Parkway Baptist Church in St. Louis, where she greatly enjoyed singing in the choir. Following her Savior's example, she was active in inner city social work, she served as a volunteer probation officer, a volunteer arbitrator, and she worked at local food banks in Columbia and St. Louis. She was a member of the Better Business Bureau of Greater St. Louis, and Chairperson of the Blood Bank. She was President of the Greater Federation Women's Club of Creve Coeur, and was constantly involved in other volunteer projects. She loved playing bridge, Cardinals baseball, reading, dogs and Star Trek. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Missouri Girls Town, PO Box 59, Kingdom City, MO, 65252 or Child Fund International, PO Box 26507, Richmond, Virginia, 23261. Memories can be shared online at legacy.com/obituaries/stltoday. Services: Visitation at the Ortmann- Stipanovich Funeral Home, 12444 Olive Blvd, Creve Coeur, Thursday, January 20, 2011, 4 to 8 p.m. and Friday, January 21, 2011, from 10 to 11 a.m., at Parkway Baptist Church, 12465 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur, MO. Services will follow at 11 a.m., with interment at St. Paul's Cemetery.

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Published by Kansas City Star from Jan. 19 to Jan. 20, 2011.

Memories and Condolences
for BETTE BUFFA

Sponsored by Bette Buffa's Children.

20 Entries

Barb

January 26, 2016

I miss you Mom

January 27, 2011

To the Buffa family,
We are so sorry for your loss. We both know how you feel, we have felt the loss too and it never goes away. You have the many memories. We are sad that we have not kept in touch over the years, seems like when "pop" passed away things changed. That is too sad. Wish we could still keep in touch. But cling to the memories you have, she is at peace, basking in glory now and fluttering her new found wings. God Bless all of you. Peace. (we live at the house on southwark)
Nancy & Dave Buffa

Scott Buchanan

January 26, 2011

My Mom "At" Law taught me so much, there are no words.

My life closed twice before its close;
It yet remains to see
If Immortality unveil
A third event to me,
So huge, so hopeless to conceive,
As these that twice befell.
Parting is all we know of heaven,
And all we need of hell.

Son in law, Scott

Kirsten Buchanan

January 25, 2011

A Granddaughter's tribute...
Every Sunday in church the whole congregation recites the Lord's Prayer. "Our Father, who art in Heaven," the voices all mumble together. Well, almost all the voices. There's one lone voice who always seems to be two or three seconds behind everyone else.
"Hallowed be Thy Name..." "name" would echo through the silence in the pause.
"Your Kingdom Come..." "come"
"Your Will be Done..." "done"
That voice belonged to one old lady sitting in the congregation, a lady who refused to go along with the crowd. A lady who did things at her own pace, her own way.
My Grandma.
When she graduated from high school at age sixteen and later law school at age twenty, it was just her doing things her own way, at her own pace. That's just one example of how she commonly defied the expectations. I clearly remember my mom telling me "honey, your grandma's going to die tonight. The doctor told us."
That was four years ago.
It didn't matter that her heart stopped, that her kidneys shut down, that she had no red blood cells left. If she wanted to live, then by golly, she was going to persevere through that. And she did.
But perhaps the best example of how my Grandma did things her own way was her ability to love everything, no matter what the circumstance. The grandchildren would be downstairs causing a ruckus, insisting on playing a dangerous game in the dark, and bam! Something would get broken. Never mind that. We were her grandchildren, and a lamp was a lamp. A few dollars never got in the way of her loving us. It didn't matter if we had just broken something valuable, if I wanted a hug, I knew her arms would be open wide.
When my grandparents adopted a sick dog from the pound, the vet told us he didn't expect the dog to live. Thanks to my cousins patiently spoon feeding the dog for weeks, his physical sickness healed. However, coming from an abusive background, he was mentally a wreck. He was afraid of all things and would tremble at the sight of humans.
That is, before he got a good look at my Grandma.
It's a challenge to heal a mentally unstable dog, but my Grandma did it, purely with love. How she loved that dog I can't even describe. She would pet him, feed him table scrapes, and even sing to him for hours on end. Even when the dog moved to our house, now fully healed and ready to trust humans again, my Grandma would give him the same love. She'd talk about him when away from the dog, and when was in the same room with him, well, it was paradise for them both. Always a shedder, the dog would inevitability transfer all his hair to my Grandma's black velvet pants that she loved and wore often.
She didn't mind.
While she loved the dog, I think it's safe to say she loved all of her family more. When I was little, I would always have a safe haven in her arms - unless, that is, she had her hairbrush in her hand, ready to patiently untangle the knots in my hair. But whether it was picking out cards with my favorite dog breeds on them or telling me about the birds we loved to watch that came to her bird feeder, my Grandma showed her love to me in many ways that I'll never forget.
Even in the end, she loved me. When she only had the strength for a few words, they wouldn't be complaints. She'd ask about my boyfriend, or school, or how the dog was doing. She defied the odds many times during her last hospital stay, and I admire her for that.
When it was time, I couldn't find the words to thank her for the love she'd given me over the years. There weren't words for that. I merely held her hand on last time and wrapped my arms around her.
It was a simple goodbye, but it fit. I knew I didn't have to tell her how much I loved her and would miss her. She would know.
All I did was hug her for my final farewell, but I knew as my Grandma's soul passed from this world to another, she was smiling at me. She approved. It was an unusually simple goodbye, but it was done out of love.
Just the way she taught me.

Mary (Pace) conde

January 23, 2011

Scott and family,
I am so sorry to hear of your loss. my thoughts and prayers are with you all .

Nancy & Dick Greenblatt

January 23, 2011

Dear Rob, Scott, Allison, and Barb,
The church service was beautiful, meaningful, and moving as family representatives recalled their memories of Bette. It brought back so many good times the Greenblatts and Buffas shared as our kids were growing up. Do you remember when we went to Springfield to view the Lincoln exhibit? The mothers and kids rode the train and Henry and Dick drove. Do you remember the Skylift in Clarksville when Bette spooked out on the heights and actually walked down the trail? I could go on and on, but please know that we will miss your mother, as we have missed your father. Bette was a remarkable woman....truly a woman of valor. You kids seem to have inherited her caring personality. We wish you well as you carry on the Buffa tradition.

Gary and Mary Calcara

January 21, 2011

Scott, Delores, Roselynn and family,
Gary and I are very sorry for your loss. You must have been very proud of your mother and her accomplishments. It is very hard to lose a parent, we know, but know this, through you they are never really gone. We send prayers and good thoughts your way.

Cesar & Patti Herpers

January 20, 2011

Your mom was an awesome person to know and will be long remembered by many. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
Love and sympathy,

Madeline,Anthony,Vince&Tommy Agrusa

January 20, 2011

Scott,Delores and family sorry for you loss our thoughts and prayers are with you and your family

January 20, 2011

I send my condolences to the family of Bette Buffa on behalf of the General Federation of Womens Clubs of Missouri, Inc. Bette served our oranization well and will be missed by the many friends she made while a member of our organiztion.
Sincerely,
Carolyn Lovelace
GFWC of Missouri, Inc. President

Janet May

January 20, 2011

Barb and Family
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. I'm so sorry. Your mom was a great lady.
Janet May (GFWC)

January 19, 2011

Dear Scott, Delores, Roselynn, Andrew and Scotty,
Our thoughts and prayers are with you and yoru entire family. Please accept our deepest condolences.
God Bless and Love,
Barbie, Michael and Vincent Salcido

Donna Sorisso

January 19, 2011

My sympathy to the Buffa family. I met Bette only once but I remember her lovely smile and her graciousness. May God bless her.
Sincerely,
Donna Sorisso

January 19, 2011

Scott and Delores,

I'm so sorry to hear about your mother, my prayes and thoughts are with you and your family during this difficult time....

Tom Simone aka MOT

January 19, 2011

My deepest sympathy to the family of Bette Buffa. She was president of the Creve Coeur Women's Club when I became a member. I appreciated her smiles and friendship. She served us well.
Suzanne Grade, Creve Coeur Women's Club

Joe Mortallaro

January 19, 2011

Scott, Delores and family,
I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

Joe Mortallaro

January 19, 2011

Scott, Delores and family. I'm sorry for the loss of your mother. My thoughts and prayers are with you during this difficult time.

January 19, 2011

Allison and Family: I am certain the University City High School community joins me in sending condolences on the death of your mother. Wallace G. Klein, now Naperville, Illinois.

January 19, 2011

Scott, Delores & Buffa Family
I am sorry for your loss of your loved one.

Jack Ancona

Bennie & Jennifer Palmentere

January 19, 2011

Scott, Delores and family,
All of you will be in our prayers for the loss of your mother and grandmother.

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