Burton "Burt" Guenin

Burton Guenin, 81, of Chappell passed away on Thursday, January 29, 2015 at the Regional West Garden County Hospital in Oshkosh.

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, February 3, 2015 at the United Methodist Church in Chappell with Reverend Ezekiel Koech officiating. Burial will follow at Ash Hollow Cemetery near Lewellen at 12:15 p.m.

Visitation will be held on Monday from 3:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at the Holechek Funeral Home in Chappell.

A memorial has been established in Burt’s name to the United Methodist Church in Chappell or to the CSU Rodeo Club at http://rodeo.colostate.edu/ .

Holechek Funeral Home in Oshkosh is serving the Guenin family.

Burton Walter Guenin was born the second of three children January 6, 1934 to Walter H. and Hazel Marie (Hedlund) Guenin at Julesburg, Colorado. Burt was baptized and confirmed in the Berea Lutheran Church in rural Deuel County, Nebraska. Burt spent his childhood on the family farm in Garden County, Nebraska.

He attended a rural one room school house in District 5 in Garden County graduating from Deuel County High School in Chappell, Nebraska with the class of 1952. In the fall of 1952 he enrolled in Colorado A&M (now Colorado State University), Fort Collins, Colorado. He studied animal science and agriculture until 1956 when he was drafted into the U.S. Army.

He spent 2 years in Garmisch, Germany at a small medical unit which was a branch of the 2nd Field Hospital in Munich, Germany.

As this was a rather peaceful period of the world, Burt traveled extensively over the great ports of Europe. He was discharged in 1958 and returned to college to complete his B.S. Degree and begin another course of study in Agriculture Economics. While attending college, Burt was very active in student affairs and leadership roles, in various organizations and clubs including; President of the AG Council and named Student of the Month in 1956.

In 1964 Burt and Virginia Parker, of Julesburg, were united in marriage in Las Vegas, Nevada. Following an extensive wedding trip through the Southwest they returned to live in Julesburg. In 1967 they moved to Chappell. To this union a son, Matthew Parker Guenin and a daughter, Nina Christine Guenin were born.

In 1971 the family moved to the Guenin farm in Garden County where Burt continued to live.

Burt was a 4-H leader for 9 years, served on the board of the Nebraska Stockgrowers; member of Farm Bureau, Elks Lodge #1760 and a member of the Methodist Church in Chappell.

Burt was a cowboy. He looked like a cowboy, dressed like a cowboy and acted like a cowboy. He loved his cattle, horses, grassland and the western way of living. Burt also rode saddle broncs and bulls at various rodeos throughout the area.

Burt and his family received the Garden County Conservation Award in the 1970’s and the Ak-Sar-Ben Pioneer Family Award in 1984 for owning and living on the same land for 100 years or more. The land was first homesteaded by his great uncle, August Guenin in 1880.

Burt raised buffalo for some forty years maintaining a small herd mostly as a hobby. Therefore, Burt became known as Buffalo Burt or just plain Buffalo. Burt also was a very talented writer, poet, and cook. He mostly enjoyed cooking with his buffalo meat and was featured in the Tasted of Home magazine. In his later days, he enjoyed checking daily on the fields and pasture, having morning coffee at Hanson’s , attending Sunday morning church and spending time with his many friends in the community in which he lived for 81 years.

Burt is survived by his son, Matthew Parker Guenin of Lewellen, NE and special friend, Michelle Chrastil of Lincoln, NE; daughter, Nina Guenin Custis and husband, Kevin of Sheridan, WY; grandsons, Kyle and Kolin Custis of Sheridan; sister, Dixie Riley of Chappell; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends.

He was preceded in death by wife, Virginia “Ginny” in 2005, his parents, Walter and Hazel; and an infant daughter, and a sister, Jacque Anderson.