Before there was Kate Winslet, there was Kate Buss. When the original Kate boarded the Titanic in April of 1912, she never expected the terrible fate of herself and the rest of the passengers. Years later, a version of her romantic life would become the basis of the love story between Jack and Rose. Read on to find out the tumultuous love affair in troubled waters...
Kate Buss
Born to James and Elizabeth Buss on December 28th, 1875, Kate Buss was destined to have a long and happy life. Her father was a grocer, postmaster, and very successful. She had seven siblings, Edward, Annie, Emma, Edith, Elizabeth, Percy, and Alfred. Kate worked with her father in the post office, so she knew all about writing and sending letters. Who knew that one day, her letters would tell more stories than she expected…
Leaving Home
Kate was 15 when she and Percy left home for the first time. Her father’s grocery wasn’t doing as well as it had before, so the two siblings were sent to their Aunt’s house as they had the most real-world skills and could make money to send to their family. Percy got a job in another city grocery while Kate became a seamstress. She was popular with the elderly women around town, who knew her for her attention to detail and small hands. But there was someone else who noticed her…
Meeting Samuel
After many years of working, a man named Samuel Willis had been living in the city when he picked up a dress for his mother. He was immediately struck by the woman sewing the lace in the back of the shop, though he didn’t know her name yet. He volunteered to pick up anything his mother or father needed in town, just to walk by the store window. Eventually, he got up the nerve to say hello to the beautiful girl in the back of the shop…
A Deeper Connection
Kate was shocked when her employer told her that she had a visitor in front of the store. She was even more perplexed when she came to the front and saw a stranger, albeit a very handsome stranger, who wanted to speak to her. This time was just about when marriage was becoming more based on emotions than on societal expectations, and these two definitely had an emotional connection…
Courting Love
It wasn’t long until they were dating, although back then it was known as “courtship.” Samuel visited his beloved every day, bringing her gifts and treats while she worked, taking long walks together after she closed the shop. Samuel was the son of a tailor, so he knew a little about the trade as well, but could see that Kate was the one with untapped potential. He had an idea that could change their lives forever. Little did he know…
Perfect Proposal
After a short time, Samuel proposed to Kate, to which she adamantly agreed. After all, they were in love, successful enough, and on their way to greatness. Samuel had just finished his carpentry apprenticeship and was destined for wealth and luxury. He wanted Kate by his side, but he knew his greatest chance of monetary growth would be in America, specifically in San Diego, California, where his uncle worked. They’d need a way to get there though…
Titanic Ticket
Going ahead to San Diego, CA, Samuel sent money back to Kate until she had enough to buy a ticket aboard the largest ship on the seven seas...the Titanic. Her ticket number was 27849 and she booked a spot on the E-Deck. It was sure to be a safe, long journey, or so they thought. She was 36 at the time of her travels. She was sent off by brother Percy and friend Mr. Hedley Peters, who arranged the ticket. Just like that, Kate was off…
Ladies Who Lunch
Onboard the Titanic her first day, Kate sat down for a luncheon. She met some other people in this luncheon like Dr. Ernest Moraweck, who was “very agreeable” and cleaned out soot from Kate’s eye. The two talked throughout the lunch and walked on the deck afterward. They watched the sunset and became fast friends, or so Kate thought. Dr. Ernest had some other ideas…
Sound of Music
Ernest offered to play Kate the violin since he was a prolific instrumentalist. Kate obliged and he smiled at her as he played, and the sound was so beautiful that the young woman was moved to tears. She began to realize that Ernest was falling for her. She wasn’t surprised but didn’t squash his idea. In fact, she was more than just flattered...
Meeting Marion
Ernest was very honest about his desires. He asked if when they made it to shore in New York, she would leave with him, live in the Big Apple and start a new life away from her fiance and what she planned for her future. She talked it over with her suitemate, a woman named Marion Wright...
Asking Big Questions
Though Kate refused the advances, the two remained friends. Still, Kate couldn’t deny her feelings, however small, for Ernest. Was going to San Diego a big mistake? She couldn’t be sure. She turned to religion for guidance. She went to a mass held by Reverend Carter and was moved by the hymns and emotions of the other passengers. She went to bed that night more confused than ever…
Iceberg Ahead
The collision with the iceberg happened at 11:40 PM, and the sound reminded the passengers of skating on ice. She was reading the newspaper at the time but stood up as soon as she realized something was wrong. Before Kate was aware of what was happening, Ernest was outside her door. He told her to get somewhere safe, he was going to go investigate. Kate wasted no time making her move…
Trouble Below
She rushed down the crowded hallway to find her friend, Marion Wright. Together, the two women went to the deck of the ship, where chaos was rampant. They learned that the ship had tragically hit an iceberg and was on its way down. Kate tried to escape to find Ernest, but Marion grabbed her by the wrist. Wordlessly, she shook her head. It was already too late for them…
Lost in the Crowd
In the crowd, Kate screamed for Ernest, but he was nowhere to be found. Kate began to become both stressed and irritated as the richer patrons began bringing their personal items to the top of the ship. The rich people were reluctant to leave their items behind to sink into the sea, and Kate berated the people for this unwillingness. They were taking up space with their trunks full of coats! Space that could be going to Ernest, if only she could find him...
Ready to Go
A man named Douglas Norman was in charge of putting women and children onto the safety boats. As Kate and Marion were already on the deck and had a higher status than some other passengers, he urged them to get in the boat. Kate, unwilling to leave people behind, begged to give up her seat. Douglas wasn’t having it and physically lifted Kate onto the safety boat. He did more than just save them though…
Warmer Weather
As the boat was being loaded, Douglas grabbed some of the trunks that the rich passengers had brought to the upper deck. He found fur coats and long, heavy dresses. He ripped them up, despite the protests of many uppity women, and gave the girls the items to keep them warm on the open waters. Kate sobbed and scanned the deck as her safety boat was lowered into the dark, empty ocean...
Waving Goodbye
As the lifeboat was lowered, Kate cried looking at the deck. So many people, she knew, wouldn’t make it out alive. Even her beloved friend, maybe more than a friend, Ernest. She looked once more, just in time to see Ernest smile and wave. Marion held her friend’s hand as she waved to Ernest for the last time. Safety boat number 9 went down until it touched the surface…
The Carpathia
Marion and Kate floated through the seas until their boat was rescued by another ship, the Carpathia. Kate was famously the last person to leave the lifeboat, as she was terrified of heights and didn’t want to leave the boat. She had to be coaxed by sailors and Marion to get on the safety of the deck. She left her stolen fur coat on the boat and eventually climbed up to join the others…
Ellis Island
The Carpathia eventually made its way to New York where Kate had a worrisome idea. If she was dropped in New York as a foreigner, she’d be taken to Ellis Island and be processed as a US citizen! Though this was not the case, she was scared enough to leave the boat alone and rushed out into the busy streets. She had no intention of staying in New York…
Finding Refuge
Eventually, Kate found her way to the New York City Junior League House, which at the time, was a hostel for women in tough situations. Started in 1901, the organization was in the process of finding funding for their lost women. They weren’t sure how they could help Kate Buss but knew it was important to. She was accepted with open arms, but she still had problems to deal with…
Rethinking Love
Could she go back to Samuel after all this? She had experienced so much trauma, so much heartache, she feared she would never fully recover from the crash. She didn’t want to rush into a marriage she was no longer sure of, so she hid in the busy streets of New York City while she thought over her future. She would need to reconsider some key aspects...
Paying Up
In the meantime, Kate applied for relief from the American Red Cross. She was awarded $250 in financial compensation, which in modern money (adjusted for inflation) would be about $6,608.07. She wrote to her family in England and alerted them that she had, in fact, survived the terrible collision. She also warned them to ignore the media frenzy of the paper. But what would become of her love story?
Surviving Ladies
She decided to reach out to her fellow survivors, Marion and a woman she met on the safety boat, Susan Webb. The ladies all stayed in touch in the months after the sinking to show support for each other. The women urged Kate to follow her own heart, she probably already knew what she wanted to do. She realized they were right…
Road to California
Kate used her $250 to find her way to San Diego, where she and Samuel were reunited. The couple had finally married on May 11th, 1912 in a beautiful ceremony. They had even saved enough money to bring over Kate’s brother Percy to live and work in the States. She became Kate Willis. The couple had one child, and Kate knew exactly the perfect name to give the baby…
A Fitting Name
Their one and only daughter was born on February 4th, 1913. She was named Sybil Marion, after her closest friend during these trying times. The couple was happy to give her the name, but Kate wasn’t happy in her new home. Kate had what doctors now recognize as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), undergoing terrible nightmares and restlessness. She hated California and missed her family dearly…
Homesick
Samuel surprised his beloved by also paying to bring Kate’s sister over to live in San Diego with them. Kate was overjoyed, and this helped out her homesickness tremendously. The trio later moved to Santa Monica, CA. As their child grew up, Kate and Samuel moved to Pasadena, CA to be with their now-adult daughter. Sybil married a man named David Lane and had one child, Ronald…
Worried Widow
Samuel Willis died on his daughter’s birthday, February 4th, in 1953. Kate was left a widow, living with her daughter’s family in Pasadena, but the group soon moved out to Oregon. She lived there until her passing in July of 1972. She was 96 years old when she finally passed away and was buried out in Monmouth, Oregon…
No Recovery
Her daughter reported that her mother never once talked about the experiences she had aboard the Titanic. If she did, she would often become overly emotional and be unable to carry on the conversation. Only near the end of her life did she finally expose the story of the people she met on the ship, and who gave Sybil Marion her name…
Final Survivor
Sybil Marion passed away in 2007 in Modesto, California. Kate Buss Willis was one of the final survivors of the Titanic sinking. She had been alive for the 60th anniversary of the sinking. The last living survivor of the Titanic had been a baby when saved from the ship. The child was saved and grew up, returning to England. Millvina Dean died in 2009 at age 97…
Lillian Asplund
Lillian Asplund was the last American Titanic survivor to die at age 99. She had been five years old when she was aboard, and as a result, doesn’t remember much from the experience. She recalled only that “my mother said she would rather stay with my father and go down with the ship, but he said the children should not be alone.”