Gerald Leonard Buchel

Gerald Buchel, born on February 23, 1938, in Lansing, Michigan, to Albert and Catherine Buchel, passed away on March 6, 2026.

A gifted athlete, Jerry lettered in baseball, football, and basketball at St. Mary's High School, where he helped the Big Blues capture the Class C state basketball championship in 1954. He continued his athletic career at the University of Detroit on a baseball scholarship, starring as shortstop and leading the team to the NCAA playoffs in consecutive years. He later earned a master's degree in inorganic chemistry from Michigan State University, where he served as a graduate teaching assistant.

His professional journey began as a process engineer and plant chemist for Corning Glass Works in Pennsylvania. Returning to Michigan in 1965, he worked as a chemical division sales engineer for Chrysler Corporation. Over the following decades, he held sales and technical roles with Honeywell Information Systems, Searle Radiographics, Varian, International Medical Corp., and Mitsubishi Radiation Division. In the late 1980s, he transitioned into medical physics, eventually becoming a diagnostic medical physicist at Baylor University Medical Center in Texas, where he earned certification from the American Board of Radiology and taught radiological physics. In 2001, he and his wife Beverly moved to San Jose, Costa Rica, where he continued his work as a medical physicist at a private radiotherapy clinic and consulted for public healthcare systems.

Jerry was preceded in death by his second wife, Beverly; his parents, Albert and Catherine; his sister, Esther; and his brother, Bob. He is survived by his brother Jack and sister Mary; his sons David (partner Andrea), Joe (wife Sylvia, children Indira and Cassandra), Jim (wife Alisa, children Maddy, Katie, and Matthew), Brian (children Amber, Brandon, and Anthony), and his daughter Melissa (husband Bob, children Katie and Cece). A lifelong sports enthusiast who remained devoted to the University of Detroit and Michigan State, he also cherished jazz music, movies, photography, and reading biographies. Above all, he held deep love for his family.