PATRICIA RICE BUETTNER OBITUARY
Patricia “Patty” Rice Buettner, 66, was called home on November 27, 2021. She endured a long courageous battle with metastatic breast cancer. With her science background she immersed herself in the medical literature to identify the best treatments for her type of cancer. After one treatment quit working, she never gave up hope that there was another one that would allow her to continue living a good life.
Patty was born on June 24, 1955 in Sayre, Pennsylvania. She grew up in Morgan Hill, California and graduated from Live Oak High School in 1973. She attended Gavilan College and Humboldt State University where she earned a Bachelor of Science degree. She had a diverse and fulfilling career as a Wildlife Biologist with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Bureau of Land Management and Forest Service. She finished her career with the Modoc National Forest in Tulelake, California. She enjoyed working in forests protecting wildlife and their habitats particularly hawks, eagles, and owls. She developed close personal bonds with several of her Forest Service coworkers.
She was an avid birder and became proficient in identifying birds by their calls. She was co-founder (more than 20 year ago) of the popular, outdoor “International Migratory Bird Day” festival in Klamath Falls, an annual educational event for children and families to celebrate nature and bird migration. Patty was also enraptured with the beauty of wildflowers during her nature walks.
Patty met her future husband, Mark Buettner, in 1982 while they both worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service in Reno, Nevada. She and Mark loved to hike in mountain wilderness areas in California, Nevada, Idaho, and Wyoming. Her favorite place was the Eastern Sierra. When Patty and Mark retired, they moved to Bishop, California at the doorsteps of the Eastern Sierra where hiking was a short drive away and the majestic granite peaks were in view from their home. In 2018, they returned to their previous home of 20 years, Klamath Falls, Oregon.
Patty was a very gentle, conscientious and caring person. She was a hard worker who often sacrificed her free time to make sure her technical reports were well written and completed in a timely manner. At home, she enjoyed working in the garden (focusing on native plants for wildlife), and had a special love for Golden Retrievers. She found their happy and loving disposition brought her much joy. When her first Golden passed away she rescued another to be a companion as she battled cancer for a second time. She loved to prepare wholesome nutritious meals and took satisfaction in keeping her home clean and tidy. Patty cherished the large Buettner family gatherings at special locations like the Oregon Coast. It was at these types of social events that her silly side might make an appearance to everyone’s surprise and amusement. She had a sense of humor that was genuine and infectious. Most of all she loved the natural world and committed her life to making a difference in protecting it.
Patty was proceeded in death by her parents Earl and Esther Rice. She is survived by her husband Mark Buettner, brothers David Rice and Arthur Rice, sister in-law June Rice, niece Ariel Rice, nephew Micah Rice, grandniece Kaya Heldebrandt, uncle Gene Rice and several cousins. Special friends are Karen Ruiz and Alyssa Fellow. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Patty’s honor to the Klamath Bird Observatory (KBO) in Ashland.
No memorial services are planned at this time. A celebration of life will be held at a later date. She would request that you honor her memory by taking time to enjoy the beauty and magic of nature.
“Study nature, love nature, stay close to nature. It will never fail you.” Frank Lloyd Wright
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