Dorian Linda Kuss

Dorian Linda Kuss, RN, 79, of Jefferson City, passed away on Friday, June 12, 2026, at Heisinger Bluffs Senior Living Community.

She was born on April 13, 1947, in Syracuse, New York, the daughter of George Ovid and Irene Alice (Boring) Burgedorff.

A 1964 graduate of Syracuse Central Technical High School, Dorian received her degree to become a registered nurse from Syracuse University of New York Upstate Medical Center in 1967.

She married Arthur Philip Kuss on August 24, 1968, in Syracuse, New York and he survives at the home.

She loved nursing and received her Licensed Practical Nursing in 1964 from Syracuse Central Technical High School and worked as an LPN at St. Joseph Hospital in Syracuse, NY even before she had graduated high school. She became a Registered Nurse from State University of New York (SUNY) Upstate Medical Center, Syracuse, NY in 1967. She worked as an RN at Sharon General Hospital in Sharon, Pennsylvania, 1968-1971.  After she and her family moved to Jefferson City in 1971, she continued her nursing career at St. Mary’s Hospital where she received the Thirty Years Award in November of 2001. She retired in 2002.  After her retirement, she continued to share her talents as a volunteer at St. Mary’s Hospital, volunteering over three thousand hours.

She attended Wesley United Methodist Church and was a member of Upstate Medical University Nursing Association, the Missouri Nurses Association, where she was recognized as a nominee for the Search for Excellence National Nurses Week in 1993. She received several nursing recognitions including American Nurses Credentialing Center as Board-Certification Medical-Surgical Nurse.  She was also a past president of the Jefferson City Registered Nurses Association, and they awarded her the Outstanding Young Woman in 1997. She received from the Cole County Unit of the American Cancer Society the award for Outstanding Volunteer of the Year.  In addition, she was a member of the Red Hat Society Ruby Amethyst Darlings in Jefferson City. In earlier years, Dorian was a Girl Scout leader and 4-H leader throughout her children’s childhood.

Dorian was very creative and loved doing needlework which included quilting, embroidery, crocheting, and needlepointing. She made dozens of quilts for her loved ones.  She was a talented designer in scrapbooking, spending hours preserving memories for her family.  After retirement, she loved to travel locally and abroad with family and friends.

She is survived by her husband Arthur; a daughter, Cynthia (John) Pratt, Wolcott, Vermont; a son, Kevin (Jennifer) Kuss, Cleburne, Texas; three grandchildren, Cerah Kuss, Connor Kuss, and Amalie Pratt; and a great-granddaughter, Aurora Washington.

She was preceded in death by her parents and a sister, Ruth Faye Burgedorff.

Visitation will be 4-6:00 a.m., Tuesday, August 18, 2026, at Trimble Funeral Homes, Jefferson City followed by a Memorial Service at 6:00 p.m. officiated by Rev. John Kerr.

Memorials are suggested to The Upstate Foundation, Inc. for Nursing Alumni Annual Fund, 750 E. Adams St., Syracuse, New York 13210.

Services entrusted to Trimble Funeral Homes – Jefferson City. trimblefunerals.com