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, Mt. Morris, IL, 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. His first job was in a bicycle repair shop. 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 in group pension marketing at Travelers Insurance in Hartford, CT. He

met his future wife, Connie Augsburger, while she was a law student at UConn. They were

married in 1987 at the historic chapel 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 raised their

children, Christine and Stephen. Brian and Connie helped found the Mt. Morris Community

Library Foundation. They opened their home to foreign exchange students and have warm

memories of their “daughters,” Hanna Tanajura, Salvador, Brazil, and Nadia Bech,

Copenhagen, Denmark. Brian was also active in community groups, including Performing Arts

Guild, Kiwanis, Mt. Morris Planning and Zoning Commission, Let Freedom Ring, 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 return to graduate school. He received 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 and with his wife, was devoted to community service in many capacities. He

will be remembered for his amazing collection of tools, his dry sense of humor, and his passion

for music, hunting, sailing, bicycling, traveling, and cooking. He enjoyed trying new craft beers,

and watching all kinds of sports, especially the Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, Iowa

Hawkeyes, the Henley Royal Regatta and the Tour de France. He cherished his loved ones,

family and friends alike, and he 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, his mother-in-law, Marilyn

Augsburger, and his cousins, Jane Stevenson and Gail Rauls.

There were no services at Brian’s request. The family has planned a celebration of his life to be

held June 20, 2026, 1 – 5 pm, at Stronghold, Oregon, IL. It is open to all who knew Brian, and

folks are asked, if they can, to observe the dress code: “Margaritaville.”

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. Connie, Christine and Stephen also note that Serenity Home and

Hospice, Oregon, IL, and the Mt. Morris Community Library Foundation, Mt. Morris, IL, are

worthy recipients of memorials to Brian’s life and legacy.

Brian’s family thanks the many cancer and medical care teams who helped Brian live a full life

to the end, 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.