Carolyn Sue (Stechowiak) Buron was born on Christmas Day, December 25, 1949, to Steve Stechowiak and Lulie (Draper) Carr in Springfield, Missouri. She departed this life on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Carolyn was united in Holy Matrimony to William (Bill) Buron, Jr. in 1970. Together they shared 55 years of marriage and raised two children. They built a life marked by devotion to family, service to others, and quiet strength.
Carolyn was a graduate of St. Agnes High School (now Springfield Catholic). Through her volunteer work with the American Red Cross, she taught countless individuals to swim and trained many lifeguards. Carolyn later served as Aquatics Director for the Springfield Family YMCA, where she staffed and managed both Springfield YMCA pools and their programs, including the Springfield Public Schools' Fourth Grade Swim Program. After retiring from the YMCA in 2000, she continued her work with the Red Cross, assisting with hurricane disaster relief efforts in the southern United States.
A dedicated member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Springfield for 45 years, Carolyn lived her faith through service and hospitality. Together with her husband, Bill, she sponsored new members into the Church and participated actively in parish life through various groups, including the Knights of Columbus. She cherished the fellowship of her parish community and the many friendships formed there.
Carolyn loved camping in her motorhome and traveling with her husband, and together they visited all fifty states as well as much of Canada and Mexico. Their shared love of travel naturally extended into service to others through their long-standing leadership in the Good Sam camping organization. She especially enjoyed spending time at the beach and playing cards with family and friends.
Carolyn was preceded in death by her parents, Steve Stechowiak and Lulie (Draper) Carr; her stepfather, Dave Carr; her parents-in-law, William Buron and Marjorie (Veregge) Ray; and her stepfather-in-law, Preston Ray.
She is survived by her husband of 55 years, Bill; her daughter, Shannon Perryman (Scott); and her son, William (Bill) Buron III (Jennifer). She dearly loved her five grandchildren, Riley Perryman Page (Wes), Nicholas Perryman, Jack Perryman (Bailey), Rebecka Buron, and William (Will) Buron IV, and her four great-grandchildren, Frances, Scout, and Annie Page, and Wyatt Perryman. She is also survived by her brother, Robert Stoviak (Marsha); her sister-in-law, Michelle Homer (Steve); and many nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends.
Carolyn was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend, and she will be deeply missed. We are grateful for the love and support of so many who remain with us and take comfort in knowing she will be reunited with cherished family members and dear friends who have gone before her.
Entering the world on the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and being called home on that same holy day, her life was beautifully framed by faith in Christ. With Christian hope, we commend her to the mercy of God, grateful for a life lived in faith and service, and trusting in the promise of the Resurrection. May the light of Christ, present at her birth and at her passing, now shine upon her forever.
Visitation will be held at Gorman Scharpf Funeral Home on Friday, January 2, at 6:00 p.m., followed by the Rosary at 7:30 p.m., led by Steve and Joanna San Paolo. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Springfield on Saturday, January 3, at 10:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to LifeHouse Crisis Maternity Home, c/o Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri ( ccsomo.org/lifehouse ).