Charlene M. Buss, 83, of Dubuque passed into the arms of Jesus on Sunday, January 3, 2016, surrounded by loving family at Luther Manor in Dubuque.
Services will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, January 9, at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church, Dubuque. Burial will be in Mount Calvary Cemetery. Friends may call from 3 to 7 p.m. Friday January 8, at Egelhof, Siegert & Casper Funeral Home, 2659 Kennedy Road, Dubuque where there will be a parish wake service at 2:30 p.m.
Charlene (Patzner) Buss was born in Potosi, WI, Feb 3, 1932, the fourth of ten children of Raymond & Clarissa (Althaus) Patzner. She grew up on the family farm in Potosi with her siblings and went to school at St. Andrew’s in Tennyson.
Charlene married the boy next door, Carl Buss, on October 9, 1954 at St. Andrew’s Church in Tennyson, WI. The couple moved to Dubuque that same year and joined St. Patrick’s where they were lifelong members.
Her family was her first love and she always looked forward to family gatherings! She loved her husband Carl and her seven children and 17 grandchildren oh so very much. She gladly played many card and board games with Carl as well as with the children and grandchildren. Euchre was a lifelong favorite game. She was a Cubs and Hawkeye fan. She and Carl attended sporting events for the grandchildren in their retirement years.
Charlene was thankful for the wonderful friends she met attending and hosting Bible studies in her home. She loved memorizing scripture. She also enjoyed weekday and Sunday mass with the wonderful sisters at Sisters of the Presentation on Carter Road. Her faith and family were the most important things in her life.
Charlene was a loving, dedicated full-time mother with part time jobs and enjoyed the friendships through employment. She worked for the Dubuque Shooting Society for 34 years. Employers and dear friends are Ken Kemp, Rita Hafkemeyer, Marian Meyer, Zoe Casper and Elaine Murphy. She also loved monthly breakfast for many years at Village Inn with very dear neighbor friends.
Surviving are her seven children Cal (Ellie) Buss of Dubuque; Chris (Betty) Buss of Galena, Ill; Carla (Tom) Kemp of Dubuque; Connie (Alan) Seeba of Oak Ridge, NC, Cindy (Tom) McCann of Marion, Iowa, Chuck of San Diego, and Clark (Anna) Buss of Urbandale, Iowa; 17 Grandchildren, Jamie Davis, Brian (Kristi) Buss, Heather (Casey) O’Mara; Clayton (Amanda), Carson & Caleb Buss; Amy & Bradley Kemp; Jill & Andrew Seeba; T.J., Tyler, & Trevor McCann; Paris & Arianna Buss; Sheldon & Talia Buss and two great grandchildren, Carson O’Mara and Sophia Charlene Buss.
She is also survived by her siblings, Betty Richardson, Merlin (Joan) Patzner, Mary (John) Thill all of Potosi, Wisc, and Carol (Gene) Ihm of Lancaster, Wisc; and a sister in law Eileen (Larry) Laugesen of Lancaster, Wisc and brother in law James Buss of Florida.
She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband of 56 years, Carl Buss, in 2011 as well as her brothers James, Carl, and Paul Patzner and sisters Marita and Doris Patzner.
For further information, or to leave an online condolence, please visit www.egelhofsiegertcasper.com.
In lieu of flowers, a Charlene Buss Memorial Fund has been established.
A very special thank you to the staff at Luther Manor, Pastor Burton Everist, and Hospice of Dubuque.