Richard Diehl Buettner

Richard Diehl Buettner, 79, of Manassas, VA, and Ocean View, DE passed away on June 6, 2025, in Manassas, Virginia. Richard was born in Washington, DC on April 4, 1946, to Charles Joseph and Katherine Margaret Buettner and raised in Arlington, Virginia with his sister Carol and brothers Martin and Raymond. He attended St. Ann’s Catholic School in Arlington and was a member of the Class of 1964 of St. John’s College High School and the Class of 1968 of Mount St. Mary’s College, from which he earned a bachelor’s degree in History. A steadfastly proud American, after graduating from college, Richard enlisted in the Marine Corps. After basic training in Fort Sill, OK, he went to Officer Candidate School and The Basic School at the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Virginia. He later served two tours in Vietnam as a field artillery officer and was honorably discharged in 1980 with the rank of Captain. After his service in the USMC, Richard worked for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) from 1981 until his retirement in 2009 as the Assistant Superintendent of Rail Car Maintenance. Although Richard was justifiably proud of his Marine service throughout his life, nothing made him more proud than his wife, Nancy Claire, and the five children they lovingly raised: Kacey, Dennis (Elizabeth), Claire (Brad), Kelly (Chris), and Meghan (Mikey). Together, they were blessed with seven amazing and cherished grandchildren: Lily, Ben, Harper, Norah, Mikey, Dominik, and Alexandra (Lexie). Richard was an avid train lover and enjoyed creating Christmas scenes and customizing Playmobil trucks and tractors. Richard and Nancy enjoyed many happy times with their family at the beach in the Outer Banks and in Delaware, and they supported with love and enthusiasm all the activities their children and grandchildren undertook. Visitation will be held on Sunday, June 15th, from 5-8 p.m. at Pierce Funeral Home. In lieu of flowers, Richard would have appreciated support for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation (t2t.org), and St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital (https://www.stjude.org/) Mass will be offered at All Saints Catholic Church on Monday, June 16th at 11 a.m. Followed by interment at Quantico National Cemetery.

Richard Diehl Buettner

April 4, 1946 - June 6, 2025