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, white water rafting, water skiing, 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
be her side at all time, 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 11:00 A.M. Wednesday,
July 16 th at the Cheney Witt Chapel. Burial will take place
at the Evergreen Cemetery in Fort Scott, Kansas. The
family will receive friends from 10:00 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.