Obituary of Bernard E. Bueche
Bernard E. Bueche, born March 21, 1932 to Walter and Mary Edna Bueche in Salina, Kansas, passed away on Wednesday, July 26, 2017 in Houston, Texas. He is survived by his wife of 56 years Martha Bueche; his daughter Petrina Bueche and granddaughter Shay of Houston, Texas; his daughter Michelle and her family Jeff, Blair, Evan, and Wyatt Power of Murrieta, California; his daughter Brenda and her family, Michael, Chloe and Hailey Yates of Murrieta, California; his sister Mary and her family; and his nieces and nephews Suzanne Webb, Rachel Rogers, Sara and Rob Cromie, and Fred Rogers of Houston, Texas, and Donny Webb of Lafayette, California.
Bernard was a retired Captain with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. He was personally hired by Bernard “Ben” Clark in September, 1968. During his tenure he was a Patrol Deputy, Polygraph Examiner, Detective in Homicide, Sergeant, Lieutenant in Logistics and Homicide, and Captain in charge of the Hazardous Device/Bomb Team and the Academy of Justice. Of note, Bernard taught over 100 consecutive Sheriff training Academy classes starting in the early 1970s well into the 21st Century. He served as a lead instructor for teaching the elements of law and criminal investigation to several thousand future Riverside County deputies and police officers for agencies across the state. While at the Sheriff’s Department, Bernard was involved in several national, state and local organizations to include California Homicide Investigators Association and the March Air Force Base Wing Commander’s Council. Bernard was invited to be a contributor at the State-level writing and revising the Police Officers Standardization Training (POST). In retirement he continued to teach, was involved in several community endeavors and was a Board Member of the Visiting Nurse Association of Inland Counties. In addition to many commendations and awards, in 2012 Bernard received The Lifetime Achievement Award from the Fraternal Order of Police.
Prior to this, Bernard started his law enforcement career as a Police Officer for the City of Houston, Texas in 1953. While at the Houston Police Department, Bernard worked in Patrol, Traffic, he was a Motor Officer and later was promoted to Detective. As a Detective, he was the second person in the history of the Houston Police Department to be trained and certified as a Polygraph Examiner. From 1962 to 1965, he was elected the President of the Houston Police Officer’s Association. During this time, he was instrumental in Houston being the host-city for the International Chiefs of Police Annual Conference. He served the city during several historic events in Houston to include a Category 5 Hurricane (Carla) in 1961 and was a member of the detail for President John F. Kennedy’s visit to Houston the night before he went to Dallas in November, 1963.
A Mass of the Resurrection will be celebrated at 2 p.m. on Monday, August 7, 2017 at St. Theresa’s Catholic Church in Houston, Texas.
Donations may be made to the Riverside County Deputy Sheriff Relief Foundation (www.rcdsrf.org) or the Houston Police Department 100 Club (www.the100club.org). Family may be contacted at marthabueche1961@gmail.com.
