After more than 60 years of serving Catholics in Los Angeles, Father Eugene Buhr died on Sunday, March 31 at the age of 93.
Father Gene, as his friends and family called him, was born in Los Angeles in 1925 and grew up with his three brothers in St. Cecilia’s Church. He was ordained in 1954, and started out as the associate pastor at Our Lady of Peace Church in the North Hills. He went into education, serving on the staff at St. Pius X-St. Matthias High School in Downey and Bishop Montgomery High School in Torrance. At Bishop Montgomery, he later became vice president.
After he left high school ministry, Father Gene served as pastor and administrator at Immaculate Conception Church in Monrovia, before moving to St. Joseph Church in Hawthorne, where he spent his last years before retirement as pastor, moderator of team ministry, and senior priest.
“For ninety-three amazing years Father Gene was a joyful presence to all those who knew and loved him,” read an obituary provided by Buhr’s family. “We remember him as attentive, caring and generous, humorous and playful. He loved being a parish priest and cherished the many people he came to know.”
Buhr was especially known for his commitment to social issues. He ministered to the homeless on Skid Row, the incarcerated, and even paid regular visits to the Indians of the Tule River near Porterville, California.
Services for Father Gene will be held at St. Joseph Church, 11901 S. Acacia Ave., Hawthorne. There is a vigil on Monday, April 8, at 7 p.m., and the funeral Mass will be held Tuesday, April 9, at 11 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, Buhr’s family requests that donations in his memory be made to Pax Christi, Saint Camillus Center for Spiritual Care, 1911 Zonal Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90033, 323-225-4461.
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