Elmer Buchmiller

I came into this world on July 18, 1918 in a farm house outside of a small farming township, McClusky, North Dakota. I was the 9th in what would be a total of 11 Children. All of us children went to a one room school, which went from first grade through ninth grade. It was two mile walk every day from our home. When I was 15 years old, I remember my dad weeping telling me that he could no longer run the farm alone, so I sacrificed my education and stayed on the farm full time to help my parents. I did not want to give up my education; however, to this day the Lord has blessed me. On November 30, 1940, I married a beautiful young lady named Ann Vietz. Married for 75 years. In 1947, we had our daughter, Victoria, whom we have loved and enjoy to this day. We adopted a son, Vernon, who passed away in 2002. I started the plastering trade in North Dakota on the new administration building on the campus of Sheyann River Academy. I kept up the trade and when we moved to Lincoln, Nebraska in 1951, I was able to get a job working for a contractor. I stayed with them for 20 years and during that time helped with a number of buildings on the Campus of Union College. We were member of the Lincoln City SDA church. After a few years we built a new church called the Piedmont Park SDA church. As a mission project I donated my time and plastered the new church. We loved that church and still keep in touch and see some of the very dear friends we made there. Ann taught in the children’s division. I was a deacon and later and elder. In 1971 we made a big move to Yucaipa, California and of course to a different SDA church that we have come to love. I went to work in the maintenance department at the Loma Linda Hospital. I did plastering and dry walling and of course lots of remodeling. When we moved out here they were still building the LLUMC. I helped finish the last two top floors. I worked for the department for 15 years. I finally decided to retire after Ann told me one day that she had been getting up at 6am for 40 years to fix my breakfast and make my lunch, and if I didn’t retire that year I’d have to fix my own breakfast and lunch. So I retired at age 68 and I haven’t regretted a moment of it. The Lord truly blessed Ann and me with good health, and we were able to do a lot of traveling, which we loved. Our last cruise was a 4 day Mexican cruise that our son-in-law Ken and daughter Victoria took us on for our 65th wedding anniversary. We had a great time with them. We went all over, ate a lot and laughed a lot. It was a blessing to be able to do this. Through our entire lifetime, God has blessed Ann and me over and over again. My humble prayer is that we all will be ready for that “Great Day”. John 14:1-3

Arrangements under the direction of Montecito Memorial Park & Mortuary, Colton, California.