Rita Mary Busse

Rita (Snyder) Kirschner Busse, 88, of Venice, Fla., died Thursday, August 14 at her home. The daughter of William and Ella (Donnely) Snyder was born November 11, 1925 in Toledo, Ohio. She married Thomas James Kirschner in Toledo while he was a student at the University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Ind. An instructor at the Memorial School of Nursing in South Bend, she earned her BS in Nursing at Indiana University. A long-time member of AAUW (The American Association of University Women), she supported educational scholarships and programs offered through the Venice AAUW Chapter that help women prepare to reenter the workforce. Rita was a skillful bridge player, strong advocate and teacher of a multitude of child-friendly card games, and family-favorite baker of pies and cookies. Most of all, however, she was a dedicated, kind and caring mother of three, grandmother to eight and great-grandmother to 24. After Tom Kirschner's 1984 death, Rita married John Paul Busse. The new couple left South Bend and lived in Goldsboro, NC, and subsequently moved to Venice. Rita will be greatly missed and is survived by husband, John Busse, daughters Susan (Michael) Berry of Fort Wayne, Indiana.; Nancy (Kenneth) Stankiewicz, of South Bend, Indiana; and Gayle (Brian) Clayton, of Spokane, Washington; and her many friends. She immensely enjoyed, was lovingly proud and always ready to share pictures and stories of her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Her kindness, caring nature, laughter, cookies, and card-playing will be forever missed by her eight grandchildren: Jason Berry of Santa Claus, Ind. and Gretchen (Berry) Miller of Noblesville, Ind.; Brian Stankiewicz of Little Rock, Ark., Kevin Stankiewicz of Carmel, Ind., and Jonathon Stankiewicz of Carmel, Ind.; Matthew Clayton of Spokane, Wash., Scott Clayton of Spokane, and Andrew Clayton of Waco, Texas; and her great-grandchildren. Memorial services in Venice, Fla., and South Bend, Ind. will be scheduled at a later date. Preferred memorials are to the educational scholarship fund of the Venice, Fla. AAUW Chapter, c/o Judy Evenson, AAUW Treasurer, 1637 San Silvestro Dr., Venice FL 34285. Farley Funeral Home in Venice is handling the arrangements.