We are saddened to announce the passing of Vernon Alphonse Buettner of Olds, Alberta. Vern passed away at the age of 89 on April 3, 2026 after a short battle with cancer.

Vern was born August 29, 1936 in Lake Lenore, Saskatchewan, the fifth of nine boys and the first to be born in the hospital. Early years consisted of school, church, chores, hockey, baseball, curling, country dances, and above all, a lot of love and family connection. After finishing his schooling and helping out on the family farm near St. James for a few years, he rented a quarter of land and went out on his own for a year before following several of his brothers into the SaskPower Corporation. He started in line construction at the age of 18 and worked throughout Saskatchewan before becoming a gas serviceman and moving to Melfort in 1960, where he lived with his parents upon their retirement, and met a young SaskPower cashier named Marian Meckelborg. He followed her to Nipawin, where they married in July of 1967.

Marian and Vern made Nipawin their home for the next 25 years, raising three children – Jay, Arden, and Mia. In addition to a full and active life raising three kids and juggling school, hockey, ringette, swimming, and music lessons, Vern was active in St. Eugene’s Catholic Church, the local Lions, Toastmasters, and Knights of Columbus service organizations, and the Labour Union at the local, provincial and national level.

Vern retired from SaskPower/SaskEnergy in 1990 after 35 years with the organization and devoted more time to cooking, curling and golfing. He was passionate about curling and began going to the curling rink with his Dad in his youth and subbing whenever a team was short a player. He considered himself a natural second during his competitive days before transitioning to skip. Several highlights of his curling career include curling in the SaskPower Annual Spiel with brothers Albert, Len, and Mark, curling in the mixed league in Nipawin with Marian and good friends, winning a mixed SaskPower event with Marian and Arden, curling in the Nipawin’s men’s league with Jay and Arden, and bringing home trophies in Lions and Knights of Columbus provincial curling. He loved the camaraderie of curling, felt he met more fine people through curling than through almost any other setting, and got a lot of enjoyment even in his final days watching women’s and men’s national, world, and Olympic championships during his time in hospital and hospice. Although he didn’t take up golf until he was 30, he also loved the fellowship and beautiful surroundings a good round of golf provided, greatly enjoying rounds of golf with his friends and brothers, kids and grandkids, annual golf trips to Las Vegas, and many Waskesiu Senior Lobstick, Knights of Columbus and SaskPower/SaskEnergy tournaments.

Marian and Vern moved briefly to Elbow, SK in 1992 before settling in Saskatoon in 1993, where they were able to spend more time with both the Buettner and the Meckelborg families. Vern also came out of retirement in 2001 to join Home Depot as an associate in plumbing, a move he anticipated might last 5 years. Instead, it launched a second career that lasted nearly 2 decades across 2 provinces. It kept him busy and active and able to put his expertise to good use while he formed connections with customers and colleagues alike, both in Saskatoon and later in Airdrie, AB where he transferred in 2011.

They moved to Carstairs, AB in 2011 to be closer to Mia and Joe and grandchildren Grayson, Reed, and Sayfa in Olds, where they moved in the fall of 2023. It would be hard to capture the sheer pride and joy Oma and Opa got from spending time with their grandchildren, individually and collectively, and the privilege of watching them grow up. Whether it was Oma’s school when they were little or Opa’s cooking, watching hockey, volleyball, soccer, school plays, Christmas concerts, or celebrating academic achievements, they were there for it all, watching with pride and a twinkle in their eye and smile on their faces.

Vern was into health and wellness long before it was trendy or fashionable, an interest he shared with his Mom. He made it a priority to read and subscribe to health journals and websites, and despite a stated aversion to technology, logged more hours on YouTube than the average teenager keeping up with the latest information and trends. Although Marian didn’t always share the same level of exuberance for some of his more exotic elixirs and concoctions, they lived a relatively clean and healthy lifestyle, and Vern remained active and mobile and could be seen on his deck getting his daily dose of vitamin D in weather that was often less than tropical.

Vern became an accomplished public speaker and master of ceremonies after taking the Dale Carnegie course as a young man, and perhaps most importantly, after a lot of practice. He would later start the Wapiti Valley Toastmasters Club in Nipawin with Marian and others, Some of his most treasured engagements were speaking at the Lake Lenore Sportsman’s Banquet, emceeing the victory banquet at the 1992 National Seniors Curling in Nipawin, a 40-minute stand-up comedy routine at the 2017 Home Depot Christmas party, and of course, the Buettner Christmas party. Vern could fill a room with stories, warmth and laughter – whether it was a group gathered together for a steak after an afternoon of golf or room full of hundreds of people – he could be counted on for an evening full of jokes and stories guaranteed to entertain.

Family was everything to Vern. He loved his Mom and Dad, his brothers and cousins and aunts and uncles and grandparents, his wife and kids and grandkids, his in-laws and nieces and nephews, and his entire extended Buettner and Meckelborg families. The joy and connection that stemmed from family get-togethers like the Buettner Sauerkraut Fests, Meckelborg family reunions, wiener roasts, Christmas parties, sibling reunions and even the most casual coffee break or visit on the church steps were a blessing for him. He also got as much or more enjoyment from sharing his double-decker fudge, Oma’s black bread, and more recently, sourdough bread with family and friends as they did from eating it.

Vern’s faith was unwavering, a practice he and Marian lived and shared on a daily basis. He described himself as being an altar boy all his life and was active at St. Agnes in Carstairs and St. Stephen’s in Olds. He was a devout man of faith until the very end and the visits he received from volunteers in both Red Deer and Olds were a blessing and something he and our family appreciated immensely.

Vern is survived by his wife of 58 years, Marian, his children Jay (Kim) of Calgary, AB, Arden of Jersey City, NJ, Mia (Joe) MacDonald of Olds, AB, grandchildren Grayson, Reed, and Sayfa, brother and sister-in-law Eugene and Evy Buettner, sisters-in-law Fay (Albert), Janet (Leonard), Joy (Mark), Ann (Dave), and Darlene (Miles), in-laws Ed and Marie Meckelborg, Iggy and Aggy Meckelborg, Jerry and Janine Meckelborg, Annette and Jerome Weiler, Brenda and Jody Ruest, and many nieces and nephews, cousins and friends. He was predeceased by his Mother and Father, Mary (Reonspies) and Albert Buettner, his Mother- and Father-in-law Josepha and Ignatz Meckelborg, brothers Alvin, Norbert, Albert, Leonard, Mark, Dave, and Miles, sisters-in law Marion (Norbert) and Evelyn (Alvin), sister- and brother-in-law Rosella and Allois Zariwny, Marian’s brothers Joseph Meckelborg and Theodore Meckelborg, who passed away in their youth, and several nieces and nephews who left us far too soon.

He will be deeply missed by his loving family, friends, past coworkers, and all those who knew him throughout the years.

Vern will be remembered for his kindness, his steady presence and his devotion to those around him.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul (https://ssvp.ca) or the Meckelborg Memorial Fund (https://saskatooncommunityfoundation.ca/funds/meckelborg-memorial-fund/).

A Prayer Vigil will be held at 7:00 pm on Monday, April 13 at St. Stephen Catholic Church, 4302 – 57 Avenue, Olds, Alberta. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Stephen Catholic Church on Tuesday, April 14, 2026, at 2:00 p.m.

Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed at www.heartlandfuneralservices.com. Arrangements in care of: Heartland Funeral Services Ltd., 5226 – 46 Street, Olds, Alberta. Phone: 403.507.8610

• Date : 2026-04-15
• Location : Heartland Funeral Services (Olds) www.heartlandfuneralservices.com 403.507.8610