Elizabeth W. “Lee” Buss was the second child of Emeline (Shaffer) Warren and Richard Warren. Born and raised in New Haven, Connecticut, she was graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts.

She married Charles A. Buss in 1961 and moved to Shaker Heights, Ohio, where they raised three children. They divorced in 1982. She was a homemaker and volunteer before working for the Cleveland Cultural Gardens and St. Alexis Hospital in Cleveland, then for Yale University in the Chemistry department after moving back to New Haven. She lived for several years in Evanston, Illinois, and ultimately retired to Portland, Oregon.

Our mother had many challenges in her life, and she rose to all of them. She connected with others because she was able to meet them where they were and made them feel loved and accepted just as they were. But she was no pushover – if something needed to be said she was fearless in the saying of it. Her honesty and compassion were her greatest strengths.

During her final years, as she descended into dementia, she was cared for by the exceptional team at Touchmark in the West Hills and, at the end, Tenderly Hospice. The family would like to thank both organizations for their skill and kindness. Special thanks to Joey and Wendy and all the other staff and team members who made her last years as comfortable as possible.

On one of my last visits with her we sat out on the deck and several times she raised her arms up over her head for a moment as she counted to three – one, two, three – and then brought them down with a “whoosh.” Taking off, like Superman? Mickey Mantle, swinging his bat? Diving into the next wave rolling in at Weekapaug? Her mind was a watercolor painting blurred by rain, people and places and times running together, creating new and surprising colors. For all the suffering and confusion she must have felt, I hope she was able to find some refuge in those memories that remained.

She is predeceased by her brother, Richard Warren, Jr., former husband Charles, and daughter-in-law Sheila. She is survived by her sister, Eleanor Faller (Jack); sister-in-law Mary-Jo Warren; her three children Warren (Laura), Stephen, and Ellie; niece Charlotte Disher and family; nephew William Warren and family; grandchildren Daniella, Sarah, and Matthew; and great-grandchild Aurora.

Remembrances to Cleveland Cultural Gardens.