William G. Buzard, better known as “Buz”, passed away Tuesday, June 9, 2026, at his home, after a courageous battle with IPF. He was born February 27, 1948, in Dixon, IL, the son of Ken and Winnie Buzard. He married Mickey McAtee and they have been together for 48 years.
He is survived by his wife, Mickey; a sister, Kay Palmer of Gulf Shores, AL; two nieces, Kristin (Dave) Gonnella of Chicago and Kari (Jon) Bowles of Prairie Village, KS, and his labrador retriever, Nattie.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother-in-law, John Palmer and his beloved labs, Smokey, Lacey, Blaze, and Tess.
Buz graduated from Dixon High School and went to SIU-Carbondale on a football scholarship. He was also on the track and cross-country teams. After he received his master’s degree, he taught at Glenbrook North for two years and then taught at Lincoln Land Community College, where he also coached the Loggers’ track and cross-country teams from 1973 to 1977. His teams finished third in the nation twice in outdoor track. His cross-country teams were ranked in the top twenty nationally. He was inducted into the LLCC Athletic Hall of Fame in 2010.
In 1978 he and his friend, Ken Williams, started Buzard/William Construction Company. Buz retired in 2008.
Buz loved hunting at Cherry Circle Duck Club, fishing for muskie in Canada, training his labs in Thomasville, GA in the winter, hunting for morel mushrooms in the spring, and soaking up the sun on various beaches with Mickey, especially Puerto Aventuras, MX. He was a member of Ducks Unlimited and the Tallahassee and Wiregrass Hunting Retriever Clubs.
Buz was blessed to be surrounded by wonderful friends his entire life.
Per his wishes, no services will be held.
Memorial contributions may be made to SIU – Carbondale Football Program, Ducks Unlimited or Animal Protective League.
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