Robert Henry Buehler, 92, passed away on June 8, 2018 at his home in Olathe, KS. Bob was born on May 31, 1926 in Ellsworth, KS, the son of Henry Buehler and Alice Lord Buehler and brother of Betty Jo. He graduated from Salina High School in 1944 and from Kansas State University in 1948 with his degree in engineering.
Bob married Barbara Jean Flora in 1949 in Salina, and they were happily married for 68 years. He worked as a civil engineer in several towns in Kansas, helping to build roads and infrastructure, then settling in Wichita, where he and Barbara had their three children. In Wichita he worked for the Coleman Company, Bostitch, and Industrial Supply Company, before moving with the family to Overland Park, KS in 1965. He worked for many years for Kansas City Rubber & Belting, solving conveyor problems for a variety of industrial and manufacturing companies, before retiring in 1997. With many friends and loyal customers in the business community, he was still in demand and returned to work with Hanna Rubber Company, retiring again in 1999.
Bob served in Wichita on the Junior Chamber of Commerce and as a leader in Y’s Men International. In Kansas City he was a proud Boy Scoutmaster of Troop 92 in Prairie Village, leading this group on a variety of skill-building adventures, including a 50-mile backpack in the Rocky Mountains. Bob was a skilled woodworker and crafted many pieces of furniture and accessories for lucky family members.
Bob and Barbara were avid bird-watchers and both were charter members of the Overland Park Arboretum. Bob served there as a docent and a member of the Bird Committee, for which he built bluebird nesting boxes and designed and supervised the building of the bird blind. He and Barbara were members of Colonial Church in Prairie Village, and they were life members of the Kansas Historical Society and the Overland Park Historical Society.
Bob was preceded in death by beloved wife Barbara (December, 2017) and sister Betty Jo (Warren) Hubbard. He is survived by children Kathryn (Robert) Lorenzen, John (Jerri Hoover) Buehler, and Susan (David Hamill) Buehler, sister-in-law Mary Sue (Robert) Stinson, granddaughters Teresa (Brandon) Geneser, Jennifer Buehler, and Julia Hamill, and great-grandchildren Gavin and Jadyn Geneser, as well as 11 nieces and nephews.
Bob has been described in recent days as “a true gentleman” and “the best person I have ever known.” He has embodied family devotion and servant leadership to all who have known him.
A memorial service is planned for Saturday, June 23 at 11:00 at Colonial Church in Prairie Village. The family suggests contributions to the Overland Park Arboretum or to Colonial Church.
