Businessman, philanthropist.
Born at Haskett on 1 July 1933, one of six children of Russian immigrants Frank W. Buhler (1905-1982) and Mary Pauls (1907-2006), in 1969 he purchased Standard Gas Engines Works of Morden from his father-in-law Adolph Krushel and transformed it into an industry-leading manufacturer of agricultural equipment known as Buhler Industries. In 2000, he bought Versatile Farm Equipment then, seven years later, facilitated its sale to a Russian company.
He was married twice, first on 25 March 1954 to Ruth Krushel and second on 6 October 1985 to Bonita Lesley “Bonnie” Telford. He and his second wife were active in community philanthropy, endowing millions of dollars and considerable time and energy toward such initiatives as the Buhler Gallery at the St. Boniface Hospital, Buhler Cancer Centre at the Victoria Hospital, Buhler Reflective Gardens at the St. Amant Centre, Buhler Welcome Centre at the Manitoba Children's Museum, and Buhler Commons and John and Bonnie Buhler Library at Red River College.
In recognition of his business acumen and community service, he received a Queen Elizabeth II Golden Jubilee Medal (2002) and Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal (2012), was inducted into the Order of Canada (2012) and Manitoba Business Hall of Fame (2014), and received honorary degrees from the University of Manitoba (2011) and University of Winnipeg (2014).
He died at Winnipeg on 21 December 2024.
See also:
Manitoba Business: Standard Gas Engine Works / Farm King / Buhler Industries
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Northeast Pioneers Greenway Monument (Gateway Road, Winnipeg)
“Farm machinery plant opened,” Winnipeg Free Press, 9 June 1975, page 69.
Obituary [Frank W. Buhler], Winnipeg Free Press, 30 July 1982, page 28.
Memories of Grigorievka edited by Ted Friesen and Elisabeth Peters with Glenn Bergen, Winnipeg: CMBC Publications, 1998, page 119.
“Versatile sale clears hurdle,” Winnipeg Free Press, 26 May 2000, page 19.
Obituary [Mary Buhler], Winnipeg Free Press, 2 March 2006.
“Notable Hasketeers,” Winnipeg Free Press, 10 June 2007, page 10.
“Russians take over at Versatile,” Winnipeg Free Press, 24 October 2007, page 24.
“Businessman, philanthropist ‘made lasting impact’,” Winnipeg Free Press, 23 December 2024, page A1.
“‘He gave as long as he could’: Winnipeg philanthropist John Buhler dies at 91,” CBC News, 23 December 2024.
This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.
Page revised: 23 December 2024
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