Marion Buehrle

Marion Buehrle

SHARON — It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our mother, Marion Buehrle. She passed away at the age of 94 with her 3 daughters at her side at the Livewell Center in Plantsville, Connecticut.

She was predeceased by her husband, William Buehrle, in 2018. They had been married for 67 years and had also celebrated the 75th anniversary of their first date.

Marion was born June 29, 1928, in Saint Louis, Missouri, to the (late) Leslie and Margaret (Wehmeyer) Pabst. She was predeceased by her sister, Jean, who passed away as a young girl.

The family moved to Ferguson, Missouri, where Marion met her future husband Bill in the high school band. Bill went off to the army during WWII and Marion furthered her education at Washington University in St. Louis, where she received a degree in art. Bill returned from the service, married the love of his life and they eventually moved to Long Island, New York, where they welcomed the addition of their 3 daughters and Marion (as was typical of the 1950’s) stayed at home to be a full time mother. She continued her interest in art by forming a weekly painting club with her friends. She also donated her time and talent to her daughters’ schools as well as the Huntington United Methodist Church. She was active in the Church choir there and also volunteered as a Girl Scout leader for many years.

She eventually went back to work, first as a teacher’s aide and then as an art teacher in the elementary schools. She returned to college and received a master’s in education at Long Island University. Marion was a creative, caring and committed teacher. The family basement was typically filled with art supplies and a vast assortment of items she would collect for her classes (thistles, sea shells, egg cartons etc.).

Bill and Marion retired in 1987 and built their dream home in Sharon, where they enjoyed many years of retirement and time spent with family and friends. She and Bill enjoyed traveling during their retirement but their favorite places were a few very remote cabins in Maine where they returned over and over again. They spent many days there canoeing and exploring the Maine wilderness.

In addition to their travels, Marion was an active member of the Sharon United Methodist Church. In addition to helping out with many committees and church fairs and (probably hundreds of) church suppers, she resurrected the church choir and taught herself how to play the organ. She continued her painting, art work and many other volunteer activities until her mid-80s when the first symptoms of Alzheimer’s began to make their appearance. After Bill passed, she moved to Livewell in Plantsville, where she received compassionate and professional care from the many staff that cared deeply about her. Her family will always be grateful for the many kindnesses shown to Marion and her family.

Even more than her art work, church and music, her greatest love was for her family. In addition to being a wonderful role model as a mom, she was a phenomenal mother-in-law and the ultimate grandmother. The family will always treasure the memories of family gatherings and holidays at grandma’s house with all the food and goodies that anyone could possibly want.

She is survived by her three daughters and their husbands: Nancy and Ted Mao, Christine Rich and Roger Plourde and Janet and Frank Amendola, four grandchildren and their spouses: Elizabeth and Rob Andrews, Susan Mao and Matt Smith, Bethany and Rob Garofala and Peter and Jen Amendola, and seven great grandchildren: Mackenzie Smith, Grayson Smith, William Garofala, Max Andrews, Ella Andrews, Claire Amendola and Sophie Amendola. She is also survived by two sisters-in-law: Elizabeth Stanton and Jean Kimpling as well as a number of nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her son-in-law, Bruce Rich. A private memorial service will be held at the convenience of family. Donations may be made in her memory to Livewell.org or to Livewell, 1261 S. Main St. Plantsville, CT 06079.

Latest News

Crescendo’s upcoming tribute to Wanda Landowska

Kenneth Weiss (above) will play a solo recital performance in honor of Wanda Landowska, a harpischord virtuoso, who lived in Lakeville for many years.

Provided

On Sept. 14, Crescendo, the award-winning music program based in Lakeville, will present a harpsichord solo recital by Kenneth Weiss in honor of world-renowned harpsichordist Wanda Landowska. Landowska lived in Lakeville from 1941 to 1959. Weiss is a professor at the Paris Conservatoire and has taught at Julliard. Born in New York, he now resides in Europe.

Weiss will play selections from “A Treasury of Harpsichord Music.” It includes works by Baroque composers such as Bach, Mozart, and Handel. It was recorded by Landowska at her Lakeville home, at 63 Millerton Road, which overlooks Lakeville Lake. Weiss said, “I am honored and excited to play in Lakeville, where Wanda Landowska lived.”

Keep ReadingShow less
Silent cinema, live magic

The live audience at Music Mountain takes in a silent film Sept. 7.

Natalia Zukerman

On Saturday, Sept. 7, Gordon Hall at Music Mountain was transformed into a time machine, transporting the audience for a 1920’s spectacular of silent films and live music. Featuring internationally acclaimed silent film musicians Donald Sosin and Joanna Seaton, the evening began with a singalong of songs by Gershwin, Irving Berlin and more. Lyrics for favorites like “Ain’t We Got Fun,” “Yes Sir That’s My Baby,” and “Ain’t Misbehavin’” were projected on the screen and Sosin and Seaton lead the crowd with an easeful joy. The couple then retreated to the side of the stage where they provided the live and improvised score for Buster Keaton’s 1922 short, “Cops,” and his 1924 comedy, “Sherlock Jr.”

Joanna Seaton and Donald Sosin, a husband-and-wife duo, have crafted a singular career, captivating audiences at some of the world’s most prestigious film festivals—New York, TriBeCa, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Telluride, and Yorkshire among them. Their performances have graced venerable institutions like MoMA, Film at Lincoln Center, the AFI Silver Theatre, and Moscow’s celebrated Lumière Gallery. Their melodic journey has taken them to far-flung locales such as the Thailand Silent Film Festival and the Jecheon International Music and Film Festival in South Korea. Notably, Seaton and Sosin have become a fixture at Italy’s renowned silent film festivals in Bologna and Pordenone, where they perform annually.

Keep ReadingShow less
Desperately seeking Susan Seidelman

The cover art for Seidelman's memoir "Desperately Seeking Something."

Provided

On Thursday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m., Haystack Book Talks will present a special evening with director Susan Seidelman, author of “Desperately Seeking Something: A Memoir About Movies, Mothers, and Material Girls.” Part of the Haystack Book Festival run by Michael Selleck, the event will take place at the Norfolk Library, featuring a conversation with Mark Erder after a screening of the 1984 classic, “Desperately Seeking Susan.”

Susan Seidelman’s fearless debut film, “Smithereens,” premiered in 1982 and was the first American indie film to ever compete at Cannes. Then came “Desperately Seeking Susan,” a smash hit that not only solidified her place in Hollywood but helped launch Madonna’s career. Her films, blending classic Hollywood storytelling with New York’s downtown energy, feature unconventional women navigating unique lives. Seidelman continued to shape pop culture into the ’90s, directing the pilot for “Sex and the City.” Four decades later, Seidelman’s stories are still as sharp, funny, and insightful as ever.

Keep ReadingShow less
Annual Tritle organ concert at Smithfield

Kent Tritle at the organ of the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in NYC.

Joshua Smitth

An anticipated fall favorite event at The Smithfield Church is the now-annual virtuoso organ performance by Kent Tritle, organist for the New York Philharmonic, this year to be joined by Arthur Fiacco, Jr. on Cello. The concert will be held on Saturday, Sept. 14, at 3:30 p.m. Proceeds will benefit the Oratorio Society of New York where Tritle serves as Music Director.

For the past ten years, Tritle has performed an annual concert on the Smithfield Church’s historic tracker organ, a favorite of his. The program will include a variety of selections, from classical to modern, along with Tritle’s incomparable commentary on each. Selections will include organ solos and duets with cello, interpreting the works of Bach, Vivaldi and Mendelssohn, with two works by modern composers.

Keep ReadingShow less