Robert James "Buck" Koerner Jr.

Robert “Buck” Koerner, Jr., of Hayward, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on April 23, 2026, at the age of 85.

Buck was born on July 29, 1940, in Hayward to Bob and Helen Koerner. He grew up in Hayward and remained connected to the community throughout his life. Hayward was home, and Buck was one of those local faces who made it feel that way.

Buck served in the Wisconsin Army National Guard with Company B, 724th Engineer Battalion, and was part of the 32nd Infantry Division during the Berlin Crisis call-up. Buck took pride in his National Guard service and was honorably discharged.

Over the years, Buck worked at several well-known Hayward hot spots. He spent many years working in the bakery at Historyland, later worked various jobs at Telemark Lodge, and eventually retired from Northern Lakes Cooperative after many years of dedicated service. If there was a job to be done, Buck did it in his own steady way.

Buck lived across from Riverside Restaurant and was a familiar face there, enjoying a hot meal nearly every day. He could often be seen riding his bike around town, whether he was headed to lunch, work, the theater, or just out and about.

Buck had a lifelong love of music, especially Buddy Holly. His favorite song was “Peggy Sue,” and he could imitate Buddy Holly perfectly. During his years at Telemark, he enjoyed the weekend rock-and-roll bands and often joined in to sing with them. Buck was always ready to step up to the microphone, and the crowd loved his surprise guest appearances.

He was also an avid movie fan and owned hundreds of titles. Buck enjoyed seeing films at Park Theatre and was especially fond of action movies. He loved talking about movies with family and friends, and if Buck had seen a good one, you were going to hear about it. Maybe more than once.

Buck also loved fishing on Lake Hayward in his boat. Those quiet days on the water brought him peace, and like most fishermen, he had a few stories where the fish got a little bigger each time they were told.

Buck is survived by his sister, Pat Kilian of Hayward; niece, Angie Lundsten of Hayward; nephews, Brian Kilian of Hayward and Matt Kilian of Brainerd, Minnesota; and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Bob and Helen Koerner.

A celebration of Buck’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, May 2, at Bratley-Nelson Chapels in Hayward. Visitation will begin at 10:00 a.m. the same day, with a luncheon to follow the service.

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