The first of three children that would complete the family of Theodore and Anna Lucinda (McArthur) Buhler, Richard Mack Buhler, was born on August 17, 1929, in Salina, Kansas. Robert Eugene and Marilyn Ann followed in 1931 and 1932. They both preceded Richard in death. When Richard and his mother left Asbury Hospital, they went to the Buhler Farm in Rural Assaria where Richard would stay until after he celebrated his 94th birthday with an Open House in 2023.
Richard’s father died at a fairly early age and Richard operated the family dairy for several years while maintaining the livestock and farming operations. Richard graduated from Assaria High School in 1947 and was the last surviving member of his class. He was active in 4-H and became good at judging cattle, which won him a trip to Illinois that included a tour of John Deere Headquarters. On August 10, 1969, he married Karen Virginia Grizzell at the United Methodist Church in Claflin, Kansas.
The Buhler Farm was situated next to a railroad track and Richard became a true lover of trains, riding one whenever possible. He was a passenger at least once on nearly every excursion train in Colorado and one year his birthday gift was a cab ride and lunch with the engineer of the Royal Gorge train. Train magazines were still arriving in the Buhler home at the time of his death.
Richard was a charter member of the Abilene & Smoky Valley Railroad and Central Kansas Flywheels Yesteryear Museum where several pieces of his horse drawn equipment are now residing. Richard missed being a charter member of the Kansas Draft Horse and Mule Association by one meeting because of heavy rain that Sunday morning. That organization and the Central Kansas Harness Club provided the Buhlers with many friends, with most of whom preceding Richard in death. Both of the Buhlers grew up with draft horses and, until 2017, there was always at least one team of Percherons on the Buhler Farm. Many hayrack and wagon rides were taken just for fun and one of Karen’s school classes enjoyed a trip around a snow-covered field in a horse-drawn bobsled. That event was one that was featured in the Salina Journal. The Buhlers drove their black or gray teams in parades in Salina, Claflin, Assaria, Gypsum, Lindsborg, Smolan, Minneapolis, Bennington, Simpson and Beloit. Richard loved driving horses and one of his classmate neighbors once said that, if a team was hitched when Richard
rode his saddle horse to the neighbor’s farm, the lines would very soon be in Richard’s hands. He also enjoyed horseback riding and he and Karen would often ride Star and Ginger around the farm and neighborhood. Probably Richard’s favorite horse events were when a draft horse owning farmer would invite others with like interests to his farm for a plow day. Horsemen and women would harness and load their teams, arrive at the farm and spend the day plowing, with a lot of visiting happening at the end of furrows and a stop for an always delicious meal at noon. The Buhlers hosted two of those meetings where their K-4 location always found a line of vehicles parked to watch the activities. At least one of those events was covered by the Journal. The last team, Bill and Bruce, died six months apart in 2017 and a little wisdom and common sense told the Buhlers that their great times with horses and their people had come to an end. In what surely must be “Equine Heaven,” Bill and Bruce joined Sam, Pepper, Blackie, Topsy, Star, Ginger, Misty and the mules Jack and Molly, which Richard owned when he was married. The Draft Horse Journal still arrives at the Buhler home.
As an infant and child, Richard was baptized and confirmed in the First Presbyterian Church of Salina. Soon after he was married, he became a member of Salina’s University United Methodist Church and faithfully attended for the rest of his life.
In 1990, Richard became a Mason, and a member of Isis Shrine and Scottish Rite. Some of his favorite times were during the Shrine Circus when he and a friend saw that popcorn was ready for bagging.
One of Richard’s favorite pastimes was having a cup of coffee with friends. Until he was the only remaining member of his generation, he regularly drank coffee twice a day at whatever business in Assaria was serving it. He also had regular coffee groups in Salina and, more recently, was known to drive to Lindsborg on “unscheduled” mornings for coffee. In 2022, Richard passed a driver’s test to renew his license “with flying colors.”
He is survived by Karen, nieces and nephews, their children and grandchildren, cousins and his sister-in-law, June Buhler.
Richard Buhler had friends of all ages, did not boast and was dedicated to taking care of his land, his machinery and his animals.
A celebration of Richard’s life will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, June 12, in the Ryan Mortuary Chapel, which will be followed by a graveside service in Gypsum Hill Cemetery. Visitation will be one hour prior to the service.
Memorials may be made to Shriners’ Hospital and/or the Good Samaritan Fund at Presbyterian Manor. For more information or to leave condolences go to www.ryanmortuary.com