Alice Jane Buehler, 84, of Barnhart, Missouri, died peacefully and into the arms of Jesus, with daughter Lisa Coombs by her side, on September 7, 2026. She had valiantly battled acute myeloid leukemia since February 2024.
Alice was known to her friends and family as ‘Jane’ for nearly her entire life, but transitioned to using her given name Alice when the medical personnel who cared for her called her by her given name. She liked the name Alice, and it gave her a newfound sense of strength as she began to battle her disease.
Alice was born May 21, 1942 at home in Grand Chain, IL, to her parents, the late Lewis R. Dunn and Grace C. (nee Roberts) Dunn. Her family moved to East St. Louis when she was a child, and later to Cahokia, IL, where she graduated from high school in 1960. She attended SIU-E from 1960-1964, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in secondary education. She received her Master’s degree, also from SIU-E, in the late 1970s. Alice was a high school business education teacher, where she taught the first 5 years of her career at Cahokia High School and the remaining 30 years at Lindbergh High School, where she was also the Business Department Chair for many years. Business education changed greatly over her 30 years of teaching, beginning with secretarial classes including shorthand and keyboarding (typing), and transitioning in later years to computer based word processing and spreadsheets. Alice loved teaching and learning, and did all she could to help her students. After a long and rewarding career, she happily retired in May 2000.
Alice’s closest family consisted of her husband of over 23 years, the late John H. ‘Jack’ Buehler, her mother Grace until her passing in 2016, daughter Lisa (nee Wuerz) Coombs and her husband Dave, and the three grandsons who were the apple of her eye – Daniel Coombs, Matthew Coombs and Adam Coombs. Alice spent her retirement traveling and enjoying his and her corvettes with Jack, going to car shows and traveling across the country, and traveling with Lisa after she was widowed. Memorable trips included a 2 week vacation to 3 Hawaiian islands for her 80th birthday with Lisa, Dave and all 3 of her grandsons, and many trips with Lisa. She especially liked the beaches of Marco Island, FL, and winter in the mountains in Breckenridge, CO. She also cared for her grandchildren when they were young, almost a second mom to them. Her grandsons loved her dearly and spent much time with her, even as teenagers and young adults. There wasn’t much she wouldn’t do for her grandsons. Not to be forgotten are the cats she adored. She was a fur momma to Stinky, Princess and Taffy in the early years of her marriage to Jack, and passed as fur momma to Bella, Sunshine and Midnight. Her cats loved her dearly.
Hobbies included coloring books, Sudoku, gardening and planting flowers, reading, and above all, shopping. She was a fashionista and loved clothes, shoes, jewelry and accessories, and doing her nails. No event found her at anything but her Sunday best. She was also a big fan of the Muny Opera in St. Louis, where she held season tickets, both with Jack before his passing and after, for over 20 years. She loved taking family and friends to the Muny.
Alice is survived by the family she loved most – her daughter Lisa and husband Dave, and grandsons Daniel, Matthew and Adam, extended family and many dear friends.
Visitation and Services at Concord Church, 13775 Tesson Ferry Road, St. Louis MO 63128. Visitation 4 – 8 pm, Monday September 14 Funeral 9:30 a.m., Tuesday September 15, followed by interment at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. A short viewing from 9 – 9:30 a.m. will precede the service. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Mercy Hospice – St. Louis de Greeff Hospice House or Blood Cancer United – Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. By Kutis South County Chapel