Brian L Buzard

Brian L. Buzard, 68, passed away January 27, 2026 at Serenity Home and Hospice, Oregon, IL. He is survived by his wife of 38 years, Connie Augsburger, and his children, Christine Buzard (Seth Corush), Winnetka, IL, and Stephen (Ramona) Buzard, and grandson, Isaiah, all of Los Lunas, NM.

Brian was born in 1957 in Lakewood, CO, the middle son of three to Richard (“Dick”) and Eula Buzard. The family lived in Wheaton, IL, South Bend, IN, and ultimately Simsbury, CT. Brian graduated from Simsbury High School in 1976. He rowed stroke on the SHS crew team, and they competed in the high school national championship in Philadelphia. He attained the rank of Eagle Scout, and he was a National Merit Semifinalist. Brian received a bachelor’s degree in economics from Columbia College in the City of New York (Columbia University). At Columbia, he rowed as the stroke in the lightweight boat and was a photography editor for the Columbia Daily Spectator. He was a member of Phi Gamma Delta Fraternity, where he served as house manager and president.

After college, he worked at Travelers Insurance in Hartford, CT, where he met Connie Augsburger. They were married in 1987 in Watch Hill, RI. They moved to DeKalb, IL, where Brian received his law degree (JD) from the Northern Illinois University College of Law in 1991. Connie and Brian moved to Mt. Morris, IL, where they founded a law firm and practiced law for several years. They raised their children, Christine and Stephen, there. Brian and Connie helped found the Mt. Morris Community Library Foundation, and opened their home to foreign exchange students and have warm memories of their “daughters,” Hanna and Nadia. Brian was also active in community groups and events, including Performing Arts Guild, Kiwanis, Mt. Morris Planning and Zoning Commission, Let Freedom Ring Committee, Youth Sports League boys’ baseball and girls’ basketball, and Cub Scouts. At the time of his death, Brian was a member of the Mt. Morris Public Library Board of Trustees and the Mt. Morris Senior and Community Center.

Brian left the practice of law to earn a master’s degree in Library and Information Science (MLIS) from University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 2008. He served as the Director of the Winnebago County Law Library and Self Help Legal Center in Rockford, IL for 15 years, retiring in 2023. He was a member of the American Association of Law Libraries and the American Library Association.

Brian was a lifelong reader and advocate of education and libraries. He supported public television and radio. He will be remembered for his dry sense of humor and passion for music, hunting, sailing, traveling, and cooking. He enjoyed trying new craft beers, and watching all kinds of sports, especially the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Iowa Hawkeyes, and the Tour de France. He was truly devoted to his loved ones, family and friends alike, and was that guy who could (and did) fix anything. Brian loved animals and never met a dog he didn’t want to pet.

In addition to his wife and children, Brian is survived by his brothers, Kent (Sherri) Buzard, Charlotte, NC, and Kevin (Elizabeth Nolan) Buzard, Kenilworth, IL, in-laws, Jerry Augsburger (Helen Stucky), DeKalb, IL, nieces, Elizabeth Augsburger (Dionysios Spyratos), Sun Prairie, WI, and Katie (Austin) Kennedy, and grand-niece, Harper Kennedy, of Charlotte, NC, nephews, Daniel Augsburger, DeKalb, IL, and Scott Buzard, San Francisco, CA. Brian is also survived by many dear cousins and treasured friends, and two beloved and spoiled cats, Rudy and Lacey. He is predeceased by his parents, Richard and Eula Buzard, mother-in-law, Marilyn Augsburger, and his cousins, Jane Stevenson and Gail Rauls.

There will be no services at Brian’s request. The family is planning a celebration of his life later this spring, time and place to be announced.

The family requests that flowers not be sent, but donations in Brian’s memory may be made to Planned Parenthood of IL (plannedparenthood.org or (312) 592-6800). PPIL is an organization that Brian deeply respected for its integrity in consistently providing vital education and services for reproductive health care.

Brian’s family thanks our many cancer and medical care teams, including: The Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; Northwestern Kishwaukee Cancer Treatment Center, DeKalb, IL; Carbone Cancer Center at UW-Madison, WI; SwedishAmerican Hospital, Rockford, IL; KSB Hospital, Dixon, IL; KSB Clinic, Oregon, IL; OSF Saint Anthony Hospital, Rockford, IL; University of Chicago Hospital; and Serenity Hospice and Home, Oregon, IL. We also thank our family and friends for their prayers and support over the years, and their gifts of food, laughter and love.