Lela May Busey

COLFAX - Lela Barlow Busey, 90, She passed away peacefully on Friday, September 12, 2025, leaving behind a legacy of music, friendship and love of family.

She was born on November 5, 1934, and was the daughter of the late Warren Leland and Alice May Blackney Barlow. She was a fourth-generation Californian, and grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Lela graduated from The Katharine Branson School in Ross, California (1952), Sarah Lawrence College (1956), and went on to earn a master's degree from Stanford University (1957). She was an elementary school educator for twenty-eight years in Los Altos and Portola Valley, California. Following her retirement, she was a devoted wife, mother and homemaker and attended St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Winston-Salem.

Lela and Bob shared many happy years together, enjoying golf at Castlewood Country Club in Pleasanton, California, and later finding their perfect retirement home at The Landings on Skidaway Island in Savannah, Georgia. Following Bob's passing, Lela moved to River Landing in Colfax, North Carolina, to be close to her daughter and family.

Music was a lifelong passion. Lela played piano, harpsichord, and viola, performing in chamber groups and as a member of the Viola Section of the Peninsula Symphony in California. She later studied voice and sang with the Savannah Philharmonic Chorus, where she also served on the board. She sang with Berkshire Choral International, the Winston-Salem Symphony Chorus, and the River Landing Chorus.

She was also an avid traveler and enthusiastic cook, delighting friends with recipes drawn from her collection of more than 500 cookbooks. As well as her love for singing and music, she also enjoyed playing bridge.

In addition to her parents, she was predeceased by her beloved husband of twenty-two years, Robert Dray Busey.

She is survived by her daughter, Kristina Jackson and husband Jon; and three grandchildren. Kylie, Luke, and Jake Jackson, all of High Point.

Lela departed this life peacefully, leaving behind a legacy of music, friendship and love of family.

A Celebration of Life will be held at 11:00 AM Saturday, October 4, 2025, at River Landing at Sandy Ridge in Colfax. The family will receive friends following the service.

Condolences may be sent to the family online on Lela's tribute page at www.cumbyfuneral.com.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Berkshire Choral International, 75 North Street, Suite 310, Pittsfield, MA 01201 (www.berkshirechoral.org/donate).

Cumby Family Funeral Service in High Point is serving the Busey family.