Carol Klee Buescher

Carol Klee Buescher, 92, of Valdosta, went to her heavenly home on Friday, September 1, 2023 at Langdale Hospice House. Born in Jefferson City, MO on August 23, 1931 to the late Otto E. & Anna C. Klee, she grew up in the Jefferson City area and attended Jefferson City High School, where she played on the basketball team. After graduation, Carol met Frederick Buescher at a church event. Fred was an Army veteran who had fought in WWII and the Korean War, playing minor league baseball when they met. Fred proposed on a baseball diamond in Hartsburg, MO, and they were married on May 24, 1953. In 1956, the Bueschers moved to Valdosta in order for Fred to manage the local Levi Strauss & Co manufacturing plant. The couple enjoyed 48 years of marriage prior to his death in 2001.

A devoted mother, Carol spent several years at home raising her four boys. Carol was instrumental as a mentor to her sons, teaching them the value of perseverance and to “Never give up.” She was fiercely dedicated to her family and always served as the team mom for her sons’ ball clubs. She continued to volunteer for the Valdosta Lowndes Boys and Girls Club throughout their childhood years and was awarded the organization’s first Woman of the Year honor.

As her boys grew up, Carol’s great love for others led her to begin a career in sales. After starting at J.C. Penney, she later transitioned to car sales, spending 25 years in sales at Langdale Ford before retiring. Even in retirement, Carol continued her love for work and people as she worked part-time at Sam’s Club handing out food samples with the same enthusiasm she had used to sell cars decades earlier. Carol was a faithful woman and a pillar at First Methodist Church and serving the church was dear to her heart. She was an active member of the choir for 40 years, participated in the Becky Anthony Sunday School Class, regularly hosted the annual Church Easter egg hunt, and served as chairman of the Altar Guild. In addition, she was active in Circle 4 of the United Methodist Women for many years.

Never happy to sit still, Carol was active in many other areas in addition to her family and church. In the community, she supported the Symphony Guild, participated in the Crescent Garden Club, and volunteered for many years with the election commission and Valdosta / Lowndes County Red Carpet welcoming committee. She was a member of the Valdosta Country Club and its Ladies’ Golf Association where she enjoyed playing golf and the club’s many social events. In her spare time, she loved playing bridge with friends, tending to her rose garden, and taking walks around her beloved neighborhood. She was an excellent cook and made legendary dinner rolls that her family would often fight over who got the last one. A true Southern lady, she had impeccable taste and loved decorating her home for Christmas, relishing having a full house over the holidays. Of all the activities she loved, nothing made her happier than gathering and spending time with her family in the home she and Fred built all those years ago.

Blessed with a large family, she is survived by her four sons and their spouses, Kent & Dawn Buescher, Mark & Cathy Buescher, Fred & Sherry Buescher, and Chris & Kat Buescher, all of Valdosta; 12 grandchildren, Kara (& Collin) Jones, of Valdosta, Lane (& Beau) Littell of Jackson Hole, WY, Katie (& Ben) Steele of Santa Monica, CA, Emma (& Justin) Mowdy of Bozeman, MT, Carter Buescher of Nashville, TN, Whitney (& Andrew) Parks of N. Potomac, MD, Adam Buescher of Richmond, VA, Cameron (& Shea) Buescher of Ashland, AL, Caroline (& Brady) Jepson of Warner Robins, Elizabeth Buescher, Suzanne Buescher and Christopher Buescher, all of Valdosta. She is also survived by 5 great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Carol is preceded in death by her husband, Frederick Buescher, Sr. and sister Kathryn Costa.

The funeral for Carol will be held at 11 am on Friday, September 8, 2023 at First Methodist Church. Dr. Anthony McPhail and Dr. Charles Adams will officiate. Burial will follow at McLane Riverview Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at Carson McLane Funeral Home on Thursday evening from 5:30 until 7:30 pm. Flowers will be accepted or donations may be made to First Methodist Church. Condolences may be conveyed to the family on the obituary page of www.mclanecares.com Carson McLane Funeral Home.