Alberta Buss

Alberta Esther Buss, 89, of Gothenburg, Nebraska, died January 11, 2014 at Plum Creek Care Center in Lexington, NE.

She was born February 3, 1924 in Milwaukee, WI, daughter of Peter Gust Sr. and Esther (Kroyer) Gust.

Alberta was baptized at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Milwaukee, WI. One of her earliest memories was in May 1928, when she attended a parade to see Charles A. Lindbergh, after he had flown the first solo flight across the Atlantic. Alberta attended grade school at Holy Redeemer in Milwaukee and received 4-yr. scholarship to attend Pius Xl high school in Milwaukee. While in high school she was very active in many clubs: debate team, editor of school paper, President of Sodality, honor roll for four years, member of National Honor Society, member of the Journalism Members Society and received several recognition pins for her achievements in journalism. While attending high school, she was also taking college prep courses.

After high school, Alberta worked at Badger Meter Company in Milwaukee. The company made water meters but was converted to making bomb fuses for WWII. Alberta was on the assembly line for 3 years. The plant employed 80 women during the war. She attended Miss Brown’s School of Business in the evenings so she would have secretarial skills for a job at the end of the war. During that time became friends with 6 female coworkers and they spent Friday nights roller- skating, dancing the jitterbug, playing cards, ballets, plays, bowling, and going to church socials. These women remained friends throughout their entire lives spending many years creating memories together. It was at a church event where she met Arnold Buss in 1945 and they got married September 14, 1946. Together they lived in Milwaukee area until 1959 when they moved to Cedarburg, WI. While raising six children, she worked as a sales clerk at Sears, full time as a secretary/bookkeeper at a few different companies, and spent 24 years as an assistant cashier at the Newburg State Bank from which she retired in 1982. She also sewed most of the families clothes, taught herself to become an excellent cook, baked thousands of breads, pies rolls, etc and put up even more canned or frozen vegetables and fruits. Her famous Pineapple Squares recipe was loved by all and there’s not been a relative yet that can make it as delicious as she could!

Alberta and Arnold moved to Kingman, AZ in 1983 and spent 27 years of retirement traveling, camping, and volunteering at church, Mohave County Museum, and Kingman Area Food Bank. She also did a lot of handiwork, crocheting, and made several beautiful quilts. Alberta was a loving, patient, very hard-working wife, mother, and grandmother. She will always be remembered by her children as their pillar and role model. Her light always shown through her example of caring for others and “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all.”

Survivors include her children: son, David and wife Karenne of Kingston, MA and children Jennifer and Michelle; son Alan of Grafton, WI; son Bill and wife Jody of Cedarburg, WI and children Shannon, Heidi and Jared; son Robert and his wife Donna of Las Vegas, NV and children Tyler, Austin and Haley; daughter Jean Schaich and husband Dan of The Villages, FL and son Jay Quass; daughter Linda Butterfield and husband Dan of Gothenburg, NE and children Erin and Benjamin Fritch; great grandchildren: Rebekah, Rachel, Sara, Maisy, Chasyn, Dalton, Lane, Sawyer, Tyler and John-John; special friend since 1938, Sister Leanne Jean Herda from WI; special friends since 1943 Norma Wallner and Gladys Wickert from WI.

She was preceded in death by her husband Arnold on March 25, 2013; her parents Peter and Esther Gust and her brothers Herbert and Peter.
Cremation was chosen and there will be no services at this time.

Memorials can be mailed to Plum Creek Care Center, 1505 N. Adams, Lexington, NE 68850 or the Alzheimer’s Association 1500 S. 70th St. Suite 201 Lincoln, NE 68506.