Marlene (Buffy) Griesedieck

 Marlene (Buffy) Griesedieck passed away peacefully November 3^rd with daughters Susan and Carrie at her side.  She was the beloved wife of the late Walter F. Griesedieck, Jr.  Marlene leaves two daughters Susan Griesedieck and Carrie (Lawrence) Colbert and two “other daughters” Meg (Randy) Lang and Amy (Jeff) Naumann, grandchildren Elly, Mallory, and Andrew Lang and Mary, Jeffrey, Sara, and Robert Naumann.  She was a cherished mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, in-law, and dear friend to many.

 Marlene was born Dec 13, 1933 to Leopold & Matilda Bastian.  She was nicknamed Buffy by her sister as a child.

 She first came to Chautauqua at age 14 as a live-in babysitter for a couple and their grandchildren.  Although she met Walt then, the seven year age difference was too much at that time.  She returned to Chautauqua with her mother at age 18 and stayed at Kentucky home.  She met Walt again and they started dating and married in 1954.  They were married for 40 years when Walt passed away in 1994.

 Marlene was an active volunteer at the St. Louis James S. McDonnell USO for nearly 27 years, with over 12,000 hours of service.  She spent many years on the USO Board of Directors, representing the volunteers.  She received the Volunteer of the year award in October, while in hospice.  Through the years, she had also received several other USO honors, including the Outstanding Volunteer Couple Award twice (with Walt), the James S. McDonnell USO Medal of Honor, USO Award of Appreciation, Volunteer of the Year, and the USO Award of Distinction.  During her time with the USO, Marlene had the spectacular experience of landing in a cargo plane on the USS Truman and catapulting off to return.

 Mom never saw a soldier that she didn’t thank for his or her service to our country.  She also thanked anyone wearing a cap or clothing indicating a connection to the military, past or present.

 In honor of Mom’s dedication and service to those who serve, Larry White made the following tribute:

At Camp Eggers there are 42 flags near the Headquarters Building – one for each of the nations that contributes to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), the NATO Command in charge of the war effort in Afghanistan.  Each time a soldier from one of these nations dies, the flag from the respective country is flown at half mast.

This evening, we raised the American Flag to the peak for an instant and then lowered it to half-staff position in honor of our fallen comrade, Buffy.  That’s me standing and saluting the flag in tribute to all she did for those in service to this great country.  I’ll send you the flag, and hope it is a reminder of how much Buffy’s service has meant to so many for so long.

Larry White

Colonel, US Army-Retired

Kabul, Afghanistan

4 Nov 2010

Marlene was honored to carry the Blue Star Flag in the annual Fourth of July flag ceremonies at Chautauqua, representing active duty military. 

 She also enjoyed being a long time volunteer with the Salvation Army, working on the Toy Town and Toy Lift programs for many years.

 Marlene was extremely fit and healthy for most of her life.  She rode her bike up and down the river road between Alton and Pere Marquette each summer, logging 20 to 30 miles per day at least five days a week. 

 In late 2009, she was diagnosed with stage 4 ovarian cancer just before her 75^th birthday.  She underwent surgery and then bravely faced chemotherapy.  She maintained her usual upbeat positive attitude through six rounds of chemotherapy.  We frequently celebrated the completion of another round of chemo or another doctor appointment by stopping off at Happy Hour (at Steak-N-Shake) on the way home from the cancer center.  (Mom loved those dark chocolate milk shakes.  Her chemotherapies were on a three week cycle and by about day ten, she would be off the anti-nausea meds and on the treadmill, working to keep up her strength.  Once chemo was over, she was scanned and was in complete remission.  She then started hitting the gym for an hour and a half each day to get her stamina back.

 Marlene enjoyed a wonderful summer without cancer, surrounded by family and friends.  She received another clean bill of health in late August.

 On September 30^th, we learned that the cancer was back.  She faced her fate with faith, grace, and peace.  She went home to hospice.  The St. Johns Hospice staff was incredible, keeping her comfortable and content.

 She passed away in the early morning of November 3^rd, with Sue and Carrie at her side.  She donated her body to Washington University & St. Louis University, as did her Walt. 

 In lieu of flowers, we suggest a donation to one of Marlene’s favorite charities:  Fisher House Foundation (www.fisherhouse.org), Chautauqua LCIA, a no-kill animal rescue facility, or the charity of your choosing.