Father Robert Buholzer
April 07, 1925 - February 14, 2014
Obituary
Buholzer, Reverend Robert Emil
STOUGHTON - The Reverend Robert Emil Buholzer entered into eternal life on Friday, Feb. 14, 2014, at the age of 89, at St. Mary’s Janesville Hospital. He was born on April 7, 1925, in Monroe, the son of Ernest and Marie (Gisler) Buholzer. After attending Jordan Center Grade School in Jordan, Wisc., Father Buholzer attended High School in Monroe. His collegiate studies included the University of Minnesota and St. Francis Minor Seminary in Milwaukee, where he completed his collegiate studies in Philosophy and Theology at St. Francis Major Seminary. He was ordained by Bishop William P. O’Connor on May 26, 1956, at St. Raphael Cathedral, Madison. Father Buholzer served the Diocese of Madison as Associate Pastor at Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish, Monona and St. Francis Xavier Parish, Cross Plains. He served as Administrator at St. James Parish, Neshkoro followed by a Chaplaincy at Divine Savior Hospital in Portage. He served as Pastor of St. Bridget Parish, Ridgeway with Mission to Immaculate Conception Parish, Barneveld; Ss. Andrew and Thomas Parish, Tennyson-Potosi; St. Joseph Parish, Argyle with Mission to Immaculate Conception Parish, Blanchardville, and St. Mary Parish, Palmyra where he retired from in 2000. During his years of service to the Diocese of Madison, Father Buholzer served in the Iowa Deanery and as Chaplain to the Divine Savior Senior Citizen’s Home in Portage. Father Buholzer is survived by his step-sister; Sr. Joan Wirz, CSA; his three nephews, Ronald (Susan) Buholzer, Steve (Thea) Buholzer and Dave (Glenda) Buholzer; and several great nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents; his brother Alvin (Rosa) Buholzer; his step-brother Auxiliary Bishop George O. Wirz; and his great-nephew Matthew Buholzer. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St. Ann Catholic Church, 323 N. Van Buren Street, Stoughton, at 11 a.m. on Friday, Feb. 21, 2014. The Most Reverend Robert C. Morlino, Bishop of Madison, will be the main celebrant with The Reverend Monsignor Delbert Schmelzer as homilist. A luncheon will be served at the church after the service. Interment at Calvary Cemetery, Monroe, will be at 3:00 p.m., with the Rite of Committal presided by The Reverend Lawrence Bakke, Pastor of St. Clare of Assisi Parish, Monroe. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:30 a.m. until the time of the Holy Mass on Friday. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.
Events
Visitation
Fri Feb 21, 2014 @ 9:30 AM - 11:00 AM CDT
St. Ann Catholic Parish (Stoughton) • 323 N. Van Buren, Stoughton, WI null
Service
Fri Feb 21, 2014 @ 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CDT
St. Ann Catholic Parish (Stoughton) • 323 N. Van Buren, Stoughton, WI null
Photos
No photos of Father Robert have been shared yet.
Memories
SW
Sir Knight Thomas Wheeler
Other •
Fr/ Buholzer and myself Knew Him from 1985 I Thomas Wheeler served mass for Fr. from 1986 on till 2000 week days Monday through Friday I remember one thing that stands out in my life it was winter and it snowed so hard no cars were going any where that morning so I walked down the church and Fr. Buholzer was in the church So He said Mass for the two of us .
Fr. was a Blessed Priest by God of whom I'll never forget Eternal Rest onto Him Oh Lord May He Rest in Peace Amen
DC
Dick & Mary La Croix
Other •
I first met the Buholzer family in the early 90's when I was Regional Mgr. for AMPI Dairy, and sold his brother, Alvin, milk for making cheese. The cheese plant, Klondike Cheese, Monroe, is now in the fifth generation and wins many qaulity awards.
Mary and I often atttended mass at the chapel at Nazareth House just ot hear Fr. Robert's short and thought-provoking sermons. He was never a man long for words, but left one thinking about his message long after leaving the ceremony.
Later, we often visited with him at the Nursing Home in Footville. He was always glad to welcome visitors and loved to talk about agriculture. He shared his many memories of life at the Cheese Plant. He also loved the home-made cookies from Mary.
May God Bless this loving man...
Dick & Mary La Croix
JY
Jane Yank
Other •
I met Fr. Robert when I was a graduate student at UW-Madison and he was serving at St. Bridget's in Ridgeway. He generously shared his perspectives on life, all of which were variations on the the theme of how much we are loved by God, and he built his ministry on showing this in small ways at every opportunity. He held fast to the belief that every event, no matter how pleasant, infuriating, or painful, increased our capacity to love and, much more important, to be loved. Knowing how much he was loved by God, he was an apostle of self-acceptance, and refused to follow fads and fashions. Because of this, people of many different walks of life were able to hear his essential truth: each of us is created with a unique capacity to experience the love of God. He embraced life joyfully and simply - from his time on the farm, to his wartime service in the South Pacific despite its lasting physical challenges, his lifetime of ministry, and his satisfying discussions of the cheese industry, believing that each event in our lives is designed to help fill and expand our unique capacity to be loved. When asked how he was, he would reply "growing in wisdom and grace." May he now be fully enfolded in the graceful embrace of the One who loved him so much and shared this remarkable man with us. Sorry if I've embarrassed you, Fr. Robert, but every word I've written is true. Hope to see you again someday. - Jane Redfield Yank, St. Paul, MN