3/28/22 FDL County Executive Allen Buechel Passes Away
28 March 2022 News
FDL County Executive Allen Buechel Passes Away
A shocking announcement Sunday afternoon from Fond du Lac County Director of Administration Erin Gerred:
“It is with the greatest of sadness and heaviest of heart that I share with you the loss of County Executive Allen J. Buechel who passed away unexpectedly this afternoon. It is requested that you respect the family’s privacy during this difficult time. Funeral arrangements are pending.”
Buechel, known to his friends as “Al,” died Sunday a day after suffering a heart attack. His biography on the County’s website modestly summed up his impact on the County:
Allen Buechel had served as Fond du Lac County Executive since 1993, after serving on the Fond du Lac County Board for 17 years.
Since taking office, Fond du Lac County has been a leader in the state, piloting innovative programs such as Family Care and Welfare Reform, and has significantly modernized the county’s infrastructure including the airport, highways, fairgrounds, golf course, parks, trails, UW-Fond du Lac, consolidated dispatch center, jail expansion, regional medical examiner program, as well as information technology.
Allen has strongly supported many economic development efforts in Fond du Lac County, the most notable is that he led negotiations to keep Mercury Marine in Fond du Lac. He was currently serving as Chair of the Property Assessed Clean Energy (PACE) Commission, as Chair of the Group Health Trust Board of Directors and Vice-Chair of the Wisconsin Counties Association Board of Directors and was a member of the Public Finance Authority, as well as other local boards.
Allen was elected to his eighth term as County Executive in April, 2021, and was the longest serving county executive in the state of Wisconsin. Allen was a Fond du Lac County native and lived in St. Peter with his wife Betty. He had two grown children and two granddaughters.
Buechel was 74-years-old.
Tributes To Allen Buechel:
Tributes began pouring in Sunday as news of Fond du Lac County Executive Allen Buechel’s passing came to light.
Fond du Lac County Sheriff Ryan Waldschmidt posted this, “He was a true public servant who loved his family, the citizens he served, and who was a friend and advocate of the Sheriff’s Office and public safety in our county.”
From Fond du Lac County District Attorney Eric Toney, “Allen was truly the “godfather” of Fond du Lac County, always putting the interests of our County first. His steady leadership radiated throughout all levels of government giving us stability and incredible local government for decades.”
Fond du Lac County Emergency Management Director Bobbi Hicken wrote, “Allen cared deeply for the residents of Fond du Lac County and his employees as well. He was a true advocate for public safety and always strived to ensure we had the tools, technology and resources we needed to be the best we could be.”
Others passed along their condolences including; the Fond du Lac Police Department, the North Fond du Lac Fire Department, State Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt, Envision Greater Fond du Lac, the Fond du Lac Senior Center, the Ripon Senior Activity Center, the Fond du Lac Foundation and a growing list of others.
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