HF-L coach Steve Willoughby and players Michelle French, Emily Edwards, Shannon Buschner and Beth Wilson (left to right) celebrate the Section V title in 1996. Photo provided by Steve Willoughby
One of the members of the first team to bring a Section V girls basketball title home to Honeoye Falls-Lima, Shannon Buschner inspired a number of younger girls with her determination, hard work and team-first mentality. Those same qualities earned her the respect of her co-workers in her professional life as a mechanical engineer.
Buschner passed away on June 20, 2025 when she was murdered in Columbia, Maryland by a man that Howard County police described as her boyfriend, who then committed suicide. Buschner was 47 years old.
A 1996 graduate of Honeoye Falls-Lima High School, Buschner was on the first HF-L girls basketball team to win a Section V title as the Lady Cougars captured the Class B title in 1996.
“It’s so tragic,” HF-L girls varsity basketball coach Steve Willoughby said. “She is the first player I have lost. She was a great kid and player. When I heard the news, so many memories came flooding back.”
Willoughby recalled that Buschner did not play basketball until her freshman year. HF-L’s JV girls basketball coach at the time was Bob Clark and Clark told Willoughby that he thought Buschner could be a special player and recommended Willoughby bring her up to the varsity as a sophomore, which Willoughby did.
“She had been a dancer all her life and she had great body awareness and control that she could go around kids and not be called for a charging foul,” Willoughby said. “She was on that first great team with girls like Emily Edwards, Cory Lancer and Tara Snavlin.”
Buschner finished her career with 835 points (among the top 15 all time in the program) and over 800 rebounds.
“Shannon could’ve gone over 1,000 points for her career if she had not been on the same team with Emily and Tara,” Willoughby said. “She made a lot of sacrifices. No one wants to be known as a rebounder and as a defender but Shannon wanted to be that kid and she was a great rebounder and defender. She was a hard worker; never got mad at anyone and also had a mischievous side to her. She was a great student as well. I think about her as my career is winding down now and about the kids who have touched my soul and she was one of those kids.”
Buschner got involved in dance through her mother’s studio, Michelle Buschner Dance Studio. Many students or their mothers mentioned on her memory page how she “big-sistered” the younger girls at the dance studio, encouraging those who were a bit timid.
Following high school, Buschner went to the University of Maryland where she earned a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering. She built a successful career as a mechanical engineer in the nuclear power industry, working for the last 13 years at Orano USA TN.
A former colleague at Orano described Buschner as “super smart and a team player.”
Her parents wrote in her obituary that “Throughout her life, Shannon formed deep and lasting bonds with those around her. She will be remembered for her intelligence, love, joy, warmth, and unwavering loyalty to the people she loved. She will be greatly missed and her memory will be cherished forever.”
Buschner is survived by her parents, Michelle and Kenneth Buschner; her brother, Benjamin Buschner; her sister, Caitlin Buschner (Mark Benjamin); and many aunts, uncles, cousins and treasured lifelong friends and co-workers.
A Celebration of Life was held on August 18. In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to the National MS Society, Upstate New York Chapter.
