December 08, 1929 -July 10, 2025
Berniece Buell, a resident of Ft. Scott, Kansas, passed away July 10, 2025, surrounded by the love of her family. She was born on December 8, 1929, in Lake City, Missouri, the daughter of William and Ruth Pitts.
Despite a challenging early life, Berniece faced adversity with strength and grace. She married the love of her life, John Buell, on July 22, 1967, in Independence, Missouri, where they were living at the time. Berniece and John later relocated to Ft. Scott. Together, they shared a life full of love, adventure, and dedication to family and community. Berniece was a talented and creative woman. She found joy in crafts, especially ceramics, macrame, tole painting, and stained glass. She was a gifted seamstress and she made costumes for her grandchildren, toys for the Shriners, and formal wear for herself. Quilting was one of her passions, and each family member proudly owns one of her handmade quilts. Berniece was a proud member of the Daughters of the Nile and served as their queen in 1987. She and John organized many fundraisers for the Mirza Shrine and traveled on several Shriners cruises. Her commitment to service and community left a lasting impact on all who knew her. An adventurous spirit, Berniece and John traveled the United States extensively in their motorhome. They spent their winters in Texas for over twenty years. Even after John’s passing, Berniece continued to travel as much as possible. Berniece adored her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her presence brought laughter, warmth, and a sense of joy to every gathering. Some of her bold and fun adventures in her later years included parasailing, riding a donkey through the Grand Canyon, riding a camel, whitewater rafting, waterskiing, motorcycling, and even doing donuts in snow-covered parking lots with her grandkids.
Berniece is survived by her daughters, Paula Hochstedler and her husband Mike of Lee’s Summit, Missouri, and Karen Mix and her husband Mike, of Ft. Scott; seven grandchildren, and twelve great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her beloved dog Buttons, who literally stayed by her side at all times, and a longtime family friend, Patty Buell.
She was preceded in death by her husband, John; her son, Rick Petrechko; granddaughters, Missy and Tina; and stepson, Steve Buell. Let us remember and celebrate Berniece’s remarkable life – a legacy of love, laughter, creativity, and fearless adventure.
Thank you to the staff of Presbyterian Village for their loving care and support they provided to Mom and all of the family.
Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. Wednesday, July 16th at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will take place at the Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas. The family will receive friends from 9:00 A.M. until service time at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Mirza General Fund and may be left in care of the Cheney Witt Chapel, 201 S. Main, P.O. Box 347, Ft. Scott, KS 66701. Words of remembrance may be submitted to the online guestbook at cheneywitt.com.
