Lifetime Falls Church Resident, Ann Elizabeth 'Betty' Buescher, 83, Dies

Ann Elizabeth (“Betty”) Howard Buescher, 83, a long-time resident of Falls Church, Va., died December 29 at Capital Hospice in Arlington, Va., of complications from breast cancer and stroke. Mrs. Buescher was born June 19, 1921, in Boonsboro (now Lynchburg), Virginia, the sixth of seven children of Eugie Massie Howard and Frankie Terrell Howard.

She moved to Washington, D. C., at the beginning of World War II, where she worked for Army Intelligence and attended George Washington University. She met John Benedict ("Dick") Buescher, a civilian engineer from Mississippi who had come to Washington to work for the U. S. Navy. They married in May 1943 and settled in Falls Church, Virginia, where they raised two children. Dick had a distinguished career as chief engineer with the Special Projects Office of the Navy Department.

Betty Buescher was a close student of Virginia and British history, and of the genealogy of her ancestors-especially the Howard, Terrell, and Trent families. Her intellectual interests and curiosity were wide-ranging; she was an indefatigable reader of history and literature. She was a long-time Girl Scout leader and, for decades, served as a local election official for the Democratic Party. A basketball player in her youth, as an adult she became an avid bowler, golfer, and bridge player.

Betty was a widely admired gourmet cook and gardener. For years she maintained the garden at the landscaped entry to the Falls Hill development on Shreve Road in Falls Church. Betty shared with her husband Dick a profound love of the outdoors. Together they enjoyed hiking, camping, bird watching, and traveling around the United States and across several continents. Betty and Dick celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1993.Dick died in 1997.

Survivors include two children, Siri Gian Khalsa of Falls Church, and John Benedict Buescher, Jr., of Annandale; a sister, Ellen Bethea, of Jacksonville, Fla., a brother, Henry Vernon Howard, of Odessa, Florida; three grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. A viewing was held at National Funeral Home, 7482 Lee Highway in Falls Church, Virginia, on Saturday, January 1, 2005, from 3-5 p.m. A memorial service was held, also at National Funeral Home, on Sunday, January 2, 2005, at 1 p.m.