Carol L. Busch, age 67 of the Town of Richmond, passed away early Sunday morning, February 3, 2013 surrounded by her family. Born on July 25, 1945 in Shawano, she was the daughter of the late Gustave and Helen (Mitchell) Birkholtz. She grew up in rural Shawano and attended a small one room county school before graduating from Shawano High School in 1963. On January 6, 1968 she was united in marriage to John M. Busch at the Peace United Church of Christ in Shawano. The day after their marriage celebration, John and Carol moved to Rhode Island where John was in the service. They returned home to Shawano to take over the Birkholtz family farm after her father's passing. As well as being the busy mother of five children, she became very involved in the community but one of her major contributions went to forming the 4-H Group of the Waukechon Wildcats. She served as the leader and mentor for 4-H clubs for 45 years. In addition she was also involved in the Shawano County Homemakers Association, and bowling leagues. Carol retired from Wal-Mart in 2009 when she was diagnosed with cancer. During her time there she got involved in Project Linus where she could donate her time and talent to make quilts for children with cancer. After her retirement and during her battle, she wanted to make these quilts. Her dedication to helping and giving to others was never-ending. She enjoyed gardening and taking care of the yard. She took great pride in her rose bushes and all of her flower beds. She even questioned her doctors after her illness, "When can I get back outside and cut my grass on my John Deere?" Carol's number one joy in life was her family. She always put them before herself, even when her family told her it was "her time to be selfish." All she ever wanted was for her family to be happy and healthy. Left to cherish her memory are: her husband, John; their children, Michael (Carolina) Busch of Van Cleave, MS and their children, Austin, Colton and Sophia; Carrie (Wade) Bohl of Gresham and their children, Tylena, Bryce and Chloe; Luther Busch of Shawano and his son Aidan; Samuel (Laura) Busch of Shawano and their children, Hannah, Mallory and Isaac; and Anthony (special friend, Elena Smirnova) Busch of VA; her sister, Maribeth "Toots" (Bob) Dein; and many nieces and nephews. Carol was preceded in death by: her parents; her step father, Melvin Holl; and a son, Patrick Busch with whom she is now able to hold. Funeral services will be held at 11:00am on Saturday, February 9, 2013 at the St. James Lutheran Church in Shawano with the Rev. Ted Andrada officiating. Burial will be in the St. Jakobi Lutheran Cemetery in the Town of Richmond. Visitation will be held at the Swedberg Funeral Home in Shawano on Friday from 4-8pm and at the church on Saturday from 9:30am until the time of the service. In lieu of flowers, a memorial fund has been established for "Kathy's House" in Milwaukee. The family would like to extend a special thanks to the 7th floor staff at Appleton Medical Center for providing them so much support over the past few years. They also want to thank Dr. Guenther at Fox Valley Hematology/Oncology and Dr. Hari at Froedart Hospital in Milwaukee for giving them an additional two years with mom. www.swedbergfuneralhome.com