Ilene A. Buby

Ilene Angeline Buby, long-time resident of Dearborn, Michigan, passed away on May 15, 2026, after 102 remarkable years of life.

Born in Marlette, Michigan, on September 11, 1923, to William and Lillian Boegner, Ilene and her seven siblings grew up in a very close family who knew the value of hard work on their family farm. Upon her graduation from high school, Ilene moved to Detroit where she obtained a RN degree in nursing from Deaconess Hospital Nursing School.

She married Robert (Bob) Buby in July of 1947 and had twin boys, Daniel and David, born in April of 1948. Her daughter, Mary, was born in January of 1952. Ilene and Bob moved to Dearborn in 1950, and Ilene, after working at various hospitals, went to work at the newly opened Oakwood Hospital (now Corewell Hospital) in Dearborn in 1953. Ilene enjoyed an outstanding career as head nurse in different departments, and trained many other nurses while making lifelong friends and memories there. She retired from Oakwood in 1985.

Retirement didn’t slow Ilene down as she pursued many different interests and pastimes. She loved to read books, her favorite being fiction and non-fiction historical novels, as well as her many magazines and daily newspaper. She also enjoyed flower gardening and created many flower beds in both her back and front yard. Ilene raised geraniums in her basement which she used to plant on her parents’ and relatives’ graves every year on her mother’s birthday with other members of her family. She loved to play cards with family and friends, and enjoyed weekly games of bridge and pinochle with her many friends. Ilene was a frequent flier for years to Las Vegas with her husband, siblings and friends where she loved to gamble and play Bingo at the casinos, as well as at the casinos in Michigan. She also enjoyed bowling and played on many bowling teams for over 60 years until she was 100 years old. Ilene loved to take yearly vacations to Manitoulin Island in Canada with her family where they had many memorable times there. She also enjoyed traveling to various places in the US, as well as to other countries, with her last trip to Italy with family at the age of 98. In her later years, Ilene and her family enjoyed vacationing every summer on Kelly Lake in the Irish Hills of Michigan. Ilene drove her car until she was 101 years. She lived independently in her home until she was 102 yr old when she fell, and upon her recovery, she returned home where she most wanted to be, and was assisted there by two wonderful live-in caretakers.

Always one to enjoy humor, Ilene had both a quiet and quick wit up until her end, and her humor would slip out and catch you by surprise leaving you laughing and quoting her for years after!

Ilene is lovingly survived by her daughter, Mary Lebert, her grandson, John Lebert and wife, Bethany, and two great granddaughters, Evelyn and Isabelle; her granddaughter, Cindy Markey and husband, Nicholas Sr. and son, Nicholas Jr.; her daughter-in-law, Jane Buby, as well as her many beloved nieces and nephews.

Ilene was preceded in death by her husband, Robert Buby in 1995; her twin sons, David (2002) and Daniel (2012) and her grandson, Nathaniel Lebert (1974).

A celebration of Ilene’s life will be held at a later date—and when asked what kind of arrangements she wanted after her passing, she told us, “surprise me!”