Jacqulyn Buchmiller
Mrs. Jacqulyn Mercedes (Fetterer) Buchmiller,passed away at age 89 on September 17, 2018 in St. Louis, Missouri. She was born on November 11, 1928 in Highland, Illinois, the only child of thelate Ella and Joseph Fetterer.
Jacqulyn is survived by her son, Jack R. Buchmiller (Chantal), and her daughter, Jane B. Zimmerman (John), and her four grandsons Jeffrey, Charlie (Christen), and Thomas Franklin (Nicole) and their four children Jayden, Ethan, Abigail, and Elliot), and John (Jack) Zimmerman; her sisters-in-law Joan Gaus and Lily Buchmiller and nieces Judy, Ginger, and Kerri, and nephews Chip and Lance, and their children. Her eldest daughter, Jill Lynn Franklin, preceded her in death.
After graduating high school as valedictorian in Highland in 1946, Jacqui moved to Greenville, IL to begin her family, and in 1963 to St. Louis, MO. She worked as a librarian, beginning in 1971 at the Clayton Public Library, then at the St. Louis County Library’s Mid-County Branch until retiring in 2002. Working days and attending class at night, she earned a Certificate in Librarianship in June 1971 from Washington University in St. Louis.
Jacqui had a large impact on all our families and friends, and will be greatly missed. She loved her extensive extended families: her colleagues at the library, especially her mentors Mrs. Meyer and Mrs. Corinne Reif, and many young “shelvers”; and her many neighbors at the Brentwood Court Apartments where she lived for over 30 years, especially Rita & Kayla and Stacey & Jeremy who continued visiting her after she moved; “Skelley” Gilbert; Maria Kukla; even more than fifty years after leaving, Jacqui remained close to her many Greenville friends, including the Baumberger clan, the Files, Andersons, Batsons, and many other friends who filled her life and 80th birthday party with joy.
Jacqui’s companions from Engaged With Life, Angela Gracey and Jena Strauss-Schoenberg and her husband, Art, soon became friends, and they continued to supplement the fine care she received at Bethesda Dilworth from Cherie and others.
After family and friends, Jacqui’s passions were books and cats. A life-long reader, her passion became her profession. She favored history, especially women’s memoirs from the Americanfrontier, and geology. Always a serious reader, the last two books she finished, at age 87, were Frozen Earth: The Once and Future Story of Ice Ages by Douglas Macdougall, and The War that Ended Peace by Margaret MacMillan. Over her long life she loved a great number of cats, too many to name or enumerate.
Donations in Jacqui‘s memory to the Brentwood, Greenville, or Highland public libraries, to Meals On Wheels (http://www.mowstl.org/), or to cat-rescue organizations would honor her memory: Friends of Felines http://www.fofct.org Stray Haven Rescue http://strayhavenrescue.org Animal Househttp://www.stlcats.org.
Friends and family may pay their respects at a “celebration of life” on Sunday, November 11th from 4:00 to 6:00 pm. Please contact the family for information because there is a capacity limit for the venue.
Always practical-minded and with the thought it may do some good, in May 1975 she decided to donate her body to the Washington UniversitySchool of Medicine(http://bodydonorprogram.wustl.edu), with the assistance of St. Louis Cremation, 2135 Chouteau Avenue, St. Louis, 314-241-8844. Ashes will be scattered, in due course, in the Memorial Grove at Washington University’s Tyson Research Center near Eureka, MO.
Old librarians never die; they just get miss-shelved.
Please accept my deepest condolences for your loss. May you find comfort in the beautiful hope that the Bible provides. Acts 24:15 says: “There is going to be a resurrection.” God yearns to undo death by means of the resurrection. Even though the pain of losing a dear loved one is intense, knowing that God fully understands and has a permanent solution to our grief helps us to endure until we can experience these future blessings.
From your old neighbor i will miss you. Rest in peace
Jane and family, I have so many fond memories of Jacqui. The many years at Maryland School as Jane’s mother. Then the years working at the library as one of the shelvers. She was the bright spot at the library. She was a friend to everyone there. I know she will be missed by many people. I know she is reading a book with a cat right now. Peace.
Dear Jane, I am so sorry for your loss. My sincerest condolences to you and your family. It is less than a year now since I lost my own beloved mother, so I understand well the sadness you might feel. We celebrate their lives, their achievements, their love, and sacrifices for us. My dad used to say, “every book has a soul.” If true, then your mom was the caretakers of many souls. We will always carry our moms in our hearts, and they will always be as close as a mere thought away. And whether we call it in heaven or in the Fields of Peace, we will see them again.
I worked with Jacqui at Mid County branch of SLCL for over 25 years. I kept in touch while she lived in Brentwood, but very sadly did not have contact at Bethesda. Jacqui was so kind to me when I first started at MC and we truly enjoyed working together and sharing family moments. Please accept my delayed condolence for your loss. What a very bright and accomplished woman.