Richard Fred Buchholz

Richard Fred Buchholz, a resident of Baton Rouge, passed away on Sunday, May 1, 2016 at the age of 95. Richard was born on a farm near Fort Wayne, Indiana on February 1, 1921. His father, Fred Buchholz, had emigrated from Germany at the age of 16 and knocked about the Midwest in a variety of occupations before finding employment in Fort Wayne at the General Electric factory, where he worked as a machinist. Richard's mother, Lena Pankoke Buchholz, was the only daughter of another German immigrant family. Richard grew up in Fort Wayne and with his parents and older sister Dorothy experienced the hardships of the Great Depression when his father lost his job and was unemployed for almost two years. The family got by on the meager income of a small rental property, although their finances were further restricted by a reluctance to evict non-paying tenants.His mother counseled against it, but Richard was determined to attend college. After graduating from South Side High School in 1939, he worked for two years as a house painter, drugstore assistant, and welder. With his savings supplemented by a monthly stipend of $35 from his grandmother, he entered Purdue University in the fall of 1941.That same year brought America to war. Richard enlisted in the Army Air Corps. After his training, he flew 59 combat missions as co-pilot and then as pilot of a B-25 in the Pacific Theater. In the summer of 1945, he returned to Fort Wayne, arriving home the very day the war in the Pacific ended.With additional support from the G.I. Bill, Richard completed his studies in Chemical Engineering at Purdue and went on to obtain his M.S. from the University of Michigan. In 1951 he moved to Baton Rouge to work for the Ethyl Corporation. At Ethyl he met the young woman who was to become his wife. Richard and Mary Buchholz were married on July 2, 1954. During a 34-year career at Ethyl, Richard rose into upper management and made numerous business trips both nationally and overseas. He worked in the Detroit office of Ethyl from 1959"“1962, where the entire family (with the possible exception of Richard, who felt he had endured enough frigid winters in his boyhood) enjoyed the exotic experience of snow, apart from the times when the family vehicle became stuck in it. Richard retired from Ethyl in 1985. During his retirement, he enjoyed traveling with Mary to such countries as Germany, Japan, Italy, Turkey, Canada and Costa Rica. Over the course of the years he also read widely in American history and economic theory. He loved America, but also developed a strong interest in tracing the roots of his family in Europe. Richard's genealogical studies culminated in a memorable 2006 trip with his sons to Germany, during which time he was able to meet his German first cousins, the children of his father's sisters, for the very first time. Richard is survived by his wife Mary and his sons Richard (Baton Rouge) and Keith (Olympia, Washington), their wives Keiko and Robin, and four grandchildren: Palmer (Oakland, California), Adam (Denver, Colorado), Marika (Stanford, California), and Erina (Baton Rouge). Also surviving him are his sister Dorothy's children Sandy Seibert (Clearwater, Florida) and Bob Abrams (Great Falls, Montana). A memorial service for Richard Fred Buchholz will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 18, 2016 at the Lod Cook Conference Center at LSU.