Bette Kuss Crosses Over

Here's the story published in the St. Cloud Times of Bette Kuss.  Bette passed away on April 26, 2017.

https://www.sctimes.com/story/news/local/rocori/2017/04/28/fighting-bitter-end-cold-spring-mourns-beloved-musician/100952722/

COLD SPRING — "Nobody wants to talk about the big 'D' word, but in this case we need all of our plans at the ready."

The "d-word" was one that Duane Kuss uttered only a handful of times in early April.

It is a word that few had said when describing Kuss's wife Bette:

Death.

Even though the outcome was likely — with fluid constantly building up on her lungs — conversations about the 62-year-old musician and mother of two always centered on the future, a future where Bette, an accompanist for Cold Spring's Peace Lutheran Church, Cold Spring Maennerchor, Great Northern Theatre Co. and the Rocori Middle and High School choirs would take up her place on the piano bench and lay her fingers on the keys.

It was a future that members of the Cold Spring arts community had rallied for, developing a spaghetti fundraiser to help with mounting medical bills.

"Bette has had her eye on the goal (of getting better) since day one," Duane Kuss said. "She would take any risk she had to with the intent to win the battle."

But this was not a battle to be won.

This is a future that Bette will not be taking part in. After a 146-day battle, Bette Kuss died Wednesday.