Bill Buehne April 06, 1942 – December 27, 2018 Share this obituary Sign Guestbook| View Guest Book Entries| Send Sympathy Card Funeral service for Bill Buehne will be at 10:00 a.m. Saturday, January 5, 2019 at Centenary United Methodist Church with Dr. Robert Gorrell, Senior Pastor officiating. Burial will follow in Highland Cemetery under the direction of Becker-Rabon Funeral Home. The family will greet friends from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. Friday at the funeral home Bill Buehne, 76, Lawton, passed away Thursday, December 27, 2018 at his home in Lawton.
Billy Ray Buehne was born to Evelyn Buehne and Raymond Buehne April 6, 1942 in Centralia, Illinois. He relocated to Empire, Oklahoma with his mother and brothers after his father was killed in a coal mine disaster in 1947. It was in Empire where he met his future bride, Paula Smith, when they were both twelve years old.
They married eight years later on July 5, 1962 at the First United Methodist Church of Duncan, Oklahoma. Bill and Paula made their home in Lawton, Oklahoma for all but three years of the remainders of their lives. During this time, they adopted two children – Barry Paul in 1971 and Julie Beth in 1977.
Bill spent the majority of his career working in finance and eventually rose to the position of President and CEO of Lawton Teachers Federal Credit Union and oversaw the expansion and rebranding of the organization to Southwest Oklahoma Federal Credit Union. During this time Bill was an active proponent of the credit union movement and worked with lobbying groups at the state and federal levels. Bill served as a member of the board of directors for the Oklahoma Credit Union League and also spent several years serving on a vice presidential steering committee relating to banking and credit unions at the federal level.
Bill was not very good at retirement and following his retirement from SWOFCU he went to work as a branch manager for Liberty National Bank. He retired again from Liberty National Bank and began volunteering as a driver for Cancer Centers of Southwest Oklahoma. He re-entered the work force a final time taking a job as a driver for Oklahoma Blood Institute where he remained until shortly before his death.
Bill was a proud graduate of Cameron. He spent a number of years serving on the Alumni board and took great pleasure in the awarding of scholarships from the alumni board. Bill was a member of the Lawton Rangers and could often be found watching the back gate during the Lawton Rangers Rodeo.
Prior to his retirement Bill was a member of Ambucs and The Benevolent and Protective Order of the Elks. He also served as a trustee for The Great Plains Technology Center Foundation. Bill spent the majority of his life as an active member of the Methodist Church.
He served on many local and district boards during this time, but found his time with the Men’s Group at Centenary Methodist Church to be his most rewarding time. He reveled in the service to others that the group performed and could be found cooking meals for their various functions until shortly before his death. Bill was a dedicated and loving father until the very end, along with being an awesome grandpa to all his grandkids including the furry kind.
He provided guidance and assistance to his children and grandchildren as well as to other family members and friends. He was also in love with his wife, whom he spent eight years courting, nearly fifty years married to and six years, eight months and eighteen days missing. He is survived by: His daughter – Beth and her husband, (Bill’s buddy) Jesse Carr, along with his son – Barry and his wife Leilani.
His grandchildren – Taylor, Logan, Kiden, Ryan and Makaila, great granddaughter – Hali along with the 3 grandpups Tinker, Kila, and the newest one, Loki. His 2 brothers – Jerry Buehne and wife Peggy and Jimmy Buehne and wife Carol along with many nieces, nephews, and cousins. Bill is predeceased by his wife Paula, his parents Raymond and Evelyn, and his grandpups Bella, Noel, and Coda.
Bill contributed to many charities throughout his life, but there was one that helped him find quality of life after his cancer diagnosis and the loss of his wife. Reel Recovery brought some joy back into his life and helped him with understanding that he still had something to contribute to the world. Bill’s children are grateful to the Reel Recovery volunteers that helped him and would be honored to request that donations be made to this group in lieu of flowers.
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