Mrs. Karen Elise Buist, 64, of Onancock, passed away at Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Onley, on Thursday, Sept. 19, 2024.
She was welcomed home to heaven by her Lord and Savior. Karen was the daughter of the late Bertil and Majorie Lindback, of Michigan.
Karen graduated from Big Rapids High School, Big Rapids, Mich., where she met Kevin, who would be the love of her life. They were married on Sept. 18, 1982, in Big Rapids. They were married 42 years.
Together, due to work, they would travel the country, moving 12 times in 14 years, before coming to Virginia’s Eastern Shore in 1996. They made their home in Onancock. Together, they raised their children on the Shore and developed many lasting relationships.
Growing up in Michigan, Karen was a competitive swimmer and a cheerleader throughout her youth and high school years. She continued to grow these awesome talents and characteristics through the years and her whole life. Wherever she lived, she reached out and worked as an aquatic specialist, working at community centers, state parks, schools, YMCAs, and the Eastern Shore Yacht and Country Club.
Karen was a positive, encouraging force. Over the years, she taught well over 1,000 people of all ages (mostly children) how to swim and how to improve their strokes, and she mentored them on building and developing their goals for improvement and success. While doing so, she was always an awesome cheerleader for those she taught, showing the love of Christ and setting a positive example for those she taught.
Through the years of her children’s competitive careers, she would travel all over supporting them and the other children participating in the sport. She would volunteer to help wherever she could.
Karen loved sports in general. She enjoyed cheering and watching her favorite college and NFL teams play. She would hang her teams’ flags in the front yard and cheer for Michigan and Michigan State on Saturdays and the Steelers and Lions on Sundays.
Karen’s heart and contagious smile were infectious and reached so many people. She would treat people as though she had known them her whole life. Karen loved the Lord, and she loved his people. She was so caring and awesome that her love and light touched many people whom she would encounter. Karen was always thinking of others and how she could bring a smile or sense of joy to their lives.
Karen is survived by her husband, Kevin, of Onancock; her son, Chad Buist (Anneliese), of West Virginia; her daughter, Stephanie Hargrove (Broderick), of Norfolk; her sister, Nancy Taylor, of Michigan; her uncle, Harry Lindback (Mary Jo), of Michigan; her sister-in-law, Darcy Tucker (Monte), of Arizona; her brother-in-law, Jeff Buist, of Ohio; and her seven glorious grandchildren, (Stephanie and Broderick’s children) Oryon, Serenity, Lucas, and Antoine, and (Chad and Anneliese’s children) Buck, Fiona, and Patrick. She is survived by so many other family members, friends, and community members from all over the country.
Funeral services were held on Saturday, Oct. 5, at noon, at St. Peter’s Catholic Church in Onley. Father Michael Imperial officiated. Interment will be planned at a later date when her husband, Kevin, has the blessed reunion with her.
Contributions in Karen’s memory may be made to St. Peter’s Catholic Church, 25236 Coastal Blvd., Onley, VA 23415.
