Suzanne Buchert

Suzanne Mary Schroeder Buchert was called to her heavenly home on Sunday November 26. She passed peacefully at home surrounded by her family.

She was born on November 2, 1942 in St. Paul, Minnesota to parents Fred and Virginia Schroeder. Suzanne graduated from Mankato State University earning degrees in English and History. While going to university, Suzanne worked part time at the Country Kitchen where she met her the love of her life, Keith Buchert. They married and had two daughters, Paula and Michelle. After a brief relocation to Pierre SD, the family settled in Platteville, WI. Suzanne had numerous jobs throughout her career. She worked for UW-Platteville at the Karrmann library in the Wisconsin room. She was employed with the Shopping News, the Mining & Rollo Jamison museums. Suzanne was an avid reader and owned a used bookstore called Books, etc. for a time and also worked as an administrator for ROTC. In 1987, Suzanne and Keith purchased the Timbers Supper Club where they worked together for many years. There she fulfilled many roles managing scheduling and payroll, hiring and training of staff, menu preparation/revision. Suzanne enjoyed being the face of The Timbers as the hostess and greeting and building relationships with the customers. Suzanne was the first Taco John's franchise in Platteville, managing all aspects of the business there as well. After selling the Timbers, she worked for several years at Lands' End and as a barista at Badger Brothers when it first opened in Platteville. 

 In the 1980's Suzanne became interested in hosting an international high school student. Over time, Suzanne became active with a group of Platteville residents that supported international students at the university. Through many years, her family hosted students from Belgium, Mexico, Turkey, Japan, China, Brazil, and Ukraine. Each student that was hosted became a lifelong member of the family. Suzanne had a deep love of music, literature, arts and culture and made sure her daughters were also raised with these in their lives. She loved to travel both in the US and internationally. 

Suzanne is survived by her husband, Keith and their two daughters, Paula Buchert and Michelle (Dan) Hilfiker, her sister, Linda and niece Eden. She was preceded in death by her parents, Fred and Virginia and a brother, David. 

A Celebration of Life will be from 2:00 – 4:00 PM, Saturday, December 9, 2023 at the Melby Funeral Home & Crematory, Platteville, with a memorial service at 2:00 PM. Rev. Jasmine Tesdahl will officiate. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mining & Rollo Jamison Museums. Online condolences can be made at www.melbyfh.com.