Leo "Bud" Buczkowske Jr.

April 26, 1929 - July 6, 2022

By Angela Shannon

When longtime Alleghany resident Leo "Bud" Buczkowske Jr. died July 6, 2022, in a Reno hospital bed, Sierra County lost another prolific writer and passionate historian. According to his son, Robert Millay, 93-year-old Bud spent his final days battling Covid.

Born in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, to Leo and Della Buczkowske, a brother to sibling Ellen, Bud attended Kelly High School in Chicago, Illinois, and graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Illinois. He left teaching high school science students in Chicago to devote a decade of his life to Argonne National Laboratory, where he was a design engineer. Bud assisted in classified space operations and other missions, including developing the first atomic-powered submarine Nautilus, the Lunar landing module, and the decontamination chamber for returning astronauts.

Concluding Bud's time at Argonne, a new season ushered in running a sporting goods store in Chicago. This venture in life surrounded him with coaches and professional athletes. Conversations with customers and colleagues brought to his attention the plight and conditions endured by the Lakota Sioux tribe on a reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. Throughout his life, Bud visited this tribe over a half-dozen times. Tribal members honored him with a Native American name translated "He who travels with a good heart."

Marrying his second wife, Joe-Ann, in 1977, the couple moved to Benicia, California. When he wasn't teaching math or science, he was writing. Bud's love of sports found an outlet by writing a weekly column about professional athletes for the Benicia Herald. Bud's deep appreciation for history produced articles in the Herald on Pearl Harbor survivors and General Chuck Yeager. In 1993, he produced the educational video Algebraic Concepts.

The Buczkowskes eventually trekked up to Alleghany, carving out a little piece of paradise in the mountains of Sierra County. Both would fulfill instrumental roles in the community for 25 years. The lover of poetry and prose fulfilled a passion by hosting a poet's and author's gathering in Alleghany with Joe-Ann for several years. Besides donating time to the Volunteer Alleghany Fire Department and driving the ambulance, he served as president of the Sierra County Historical Society from 2004-2011 and was a regular contributor to The Sierran. Preserving the integrity of historic buildings was a daily goal, and he helped save the Kiern-Lagomarsino cabin from the bulldozer.

His extensive works include a play written about the heavyweight boxing champion Ezzard Charles aka the "Cincinnati Cobra," which premiered in Downieville at the Yuba Theatre.

With the passing of Joe-Ann Buczkowske in 2010, Bud would later meet teacher Ann Wynant at the Portola Visitor's Center. Happily spending the last portion of his life in Portola with Ann, he was productive as ever. At the time of his death, he was in the editing phase of another screenplay based upon his book Road to Jericho.

Bud is survived by his partner Ann Wynant, daughter Cindy Buczkowske, son Robert Millay, and grandchildren Joshua and Joey Millay. The ashes of Bud and Joe-Ann are in his son's care, awaiting a celebration of life ceremony to be held during the warmer months in Alleghany. According to his son, a memorial bench in honor of his parents Joe-