Jetta Rae Buzbee

DESOTO - Jetta Rae Buzbee, 85, of DeSoto. The Lord called her to his heavenly home at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, December 8, 2012 at Helia Healthcare of Carbondale. A memorial service will be held at 3:30 p.m. Thursday, December 13, 2012 at the Meredith Funeral Home, in Carbondale, with Reverend Paul Hicks. Visitation will be from 2:00 p.m. to service time on Thursday at the funeral home. Memorials are the preferred form of remembrance and may be made to the donor's choice. Jetta was born in Carbondale on December 5, 1927 to Louis Herman and Rubye Lorraine (Elston) Mueller. She married Jack Allen Buzbee on March 9, 1949 in Houston, Texas, and was a true help mate for her husband, both during and after his military service. He survives and is of DeSoto. Other family includes Kay (Don) Elliott, Emmetta (Shep) Shepard, Kathy Hall, Matt (Sandy) Elston, Amy (Jason) Barnes, Jay (LaNelle) Elston, James (Jennifer) Elston, Jeff (Amy) Elston, and dear friends, Fran Thompson and Willene Warren. She is preceded in death by her parents. In their early years together Jetta worked as a secretary for her uncle, Herbert Elston, in his insurance agency in Houston, TX. Later she worked as a secretary in the civil service at Amarillo, Texas and then in Germany and Italy in the Jupiter Missile program. While in Germany, she worked in the Office of General Benjamin O. Davis, a Tuskegee airman. In Japan she worked as a volunteer in the processing of wounded personnel from Vietnam. While in Japan, she took up Japanese flower arranging and earned a fourth degree teachers certificate. She also managed a trip to the Philippines, Saigon, Vietnam, and Singapore. During her stay in Hawaii, she worked as a volunteer at the Tripler Army General Hospital and in the Hickman Air Force Base Thrift Shop. She also taught classes in Japanese flower arranging. While in the Washington D.C. area she volunteered at the Andrews Air Force Base Hospital and served as a Gray Lady at Arlington National Cemetery. Her duties there were to represent the U.S. Air Force when an Air Force member or retiree was buried at Arlington. After Jack's retirement in February 1977, they moved back to Southern Illinois. She was a member of the Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, DeSoto, American Legion Auxiliary # 664, Hurst, Disabled American Vets, The Shrine Auxiliary, Khiva Temple, Amarillo, Texas, and the Order of the Eastern Star. She also volunteered for the Hurst Masonic Lodge for any events they held. Jetta always did more than her fair share and continues to be an inspiration to many. The family would like to give thanks for the caring and compassionate treatment of Jetta Rae by the Carbondale Memorial Hospital, Helia Healthcare Staff, Passages Hospice, and Dr. Roger Jones. Please feel free to share any comments or stories of your experiences with this remarkable and noble woman at www.meredithfh.com.



Service:



3:30 p.m. Thursday, December 13, 2012



Meredith Funeral Home Carbondale, Illinois







Visitation:



2:00 p.m. - 3:30 p.m. Thursday, December 13, 2012



Meredith Funeral Home Carbondale, Illinois