Elsie Louise Buller

Obituary of Elsie Louise (Fast) Buller Elsie Louise (Fast) Buller, 95, passed away peacefully at Brighton Gardens on Sunday, December 20, 2009. Born to the late Johann and Lena Fast of Mountain Lake, Minnesota on December 18, 1914, she was the fifth of six children. Elsie was married to Peter E. Buller of Henderson, Nebraska on August 29, 1935, who predeceased her on September 3, 1979. Our mother grew up on a farm near Mountain Lake, Minnesota with her brother and four sisters. She loved working outside with her Dad whom they called Pa. She remembers fondly Tom & Prince, Topsy & Queen, the two teams of horses that pulled the cultivator. In a childhood memory she wrote for a Fast family reunion she remembers, “…trying to catch my first fish on one of the holidays Dad took us to the lake. Sorry to say the fish got away and I got wet up to my neck.” She attended the Evangelical Mennonite Brethren Church with her family, known then as the Valley Church. At age 12 she was baptized on confession of faith in Jesus as her Savior. Her faith grew strong and her implicit trust in God’s guidance developed to encompass all the details of her life. She leaves us a strong legacy of deep faith in a loving Father who cares for each of us in our daily life as we trust Him. On May 30, 1934 she was the first in her family to graduate from high school. Later, after her marriage, she took one semester of classes and several semesters of evening courses at Grace Bible Institute between 1947 and 1950 while her husband was a student there. An evening course in bookkeeping at a local technical school gave her the skills she needed to keep the books for Westside Nursery. She worked in partnership with her husband, who established the business in 1957. Working at the nursery gave expression to her love of plants and flowers. She also enjoyed flower arranging and gardening. She was especially fond of the amaryllis, and at one time had a collection of bulbs which she carefully nurtured into bloom each winter. Other interests included knitting, crochet, embroidery, and quilting. She was involved with the ladies quilting group in her church, helping to make many quilts for missionaries and needy children. Mom enjoyed traveling with our Dad to visit relatives and see new places, and her travels continued after becoming a widow. Her varied destinations included Colorado, North Carolina, Minnesota, New England (for the fall colors), Hawaii; Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and British Colombia, Canada; Irian Jaya, Indonesia; Paraguay, S.A.; and a Caribbean cruise with Chuck Swindoll. Our Mom was creative and generous. She loved to give and most of the things she crafted with her hands were made to be used as gifts. Her heart for missions was evidenced in her financial and prayer support for many missionaries over the years. She continued giving throughout her life. She leaves us a passionate legacy of faithfulness to God’s call on her life to be a godly woman, wife, mother and homemaker. She is survived by two sons; Gilbert (Grace) of Longmont, Colorado and Philip (Deborah) of Marion, North Carolina; two daughters, Marilyn (Lloyd) Dueck of Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada and CarolAnn (Ronnie) Austin of Old Fort, North Carolina; one daughter-in-law, Elda Buller of Omaha, Nebraska; nine grandchildren, Cyndi (Mark) Stucky, Wes (Laurie) Buller, Beth (Merle) Hogberg, James (Amy) Buller, Jonathan (Arlene) Buller, Richard (Rebekah) Buller, Cheri Dueck, Steve (Brenna) Dueck, and Stan Dueck; three step-grandchildren; Rachel (Douglas) Swann, Mark (Lisa) Austin, and Tonia Austin; fourteen great-grandchildren and seven step-great-grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her parents, husband, eldest son; Dennis, one brother; Henry Fast, and four sisters; Marie Hein, Sarah Faul, Helen Wiebe, and Rosella Derksen. All her brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law also predeceased her. She was, in fact, the last one of her generation to receive her eternal reward. A memorial service will be held on December 28, 2009 at Evangelical Bible Church, 7820 Fort Street following a graveside service at Mount Hope Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to: Elsie Buller Memorial, Evangelical Bible Church, 7820 Fort Street, Omaha, NE 68134 Arrangements by Braman Mortuary