A Tough Goodbye

“We never lose our loved ones. They accompany us; they don’t disappear from our lives. We are merely in different rooms”. Paulo Coelho.

Since our dear friend, board member, and supporter of HCM for over 50 years passed away last week, I have been struggling with how to put into words all that Doug Bucher meant to us here at the museum.  There isn’t a space in these three buildings that has not been touched by Doug; from wall colors to collection items he donated, to the now beautiful carpeting that he chose for the front and back parlors that was finished just a few days before he died, Doug’s legacy in preserving the Hart-Cluett House and the historical society will live on and in more ways than one. 

Doug and I really got to know each other many years ago when on a very snowy Saturday he thought it was a good idea to rip the flocked wallpaper off the walls in what was originally a bathroom on the 2nd floor, a project I was very happy to participate in!  We found original gas fixtures and paint ghosts from cabinets that were long gone. Over the years we tackled many projects and adventures in all three buildings. What I will treasure most though are the weekly Thursday and Friday late afternoon chats in my office, where we covered his many preservation topics, new collections, historic findings, his great finds on e-bay and our love of great books to read and old movies to watch. 

In that spirit, I hope you will share your reminiscences of Doug when we host a reception and celebration of his life on Saturday, September 9th from 2-5PM here at the museum.

-Kathy Sheehan, Executive Director

Read about Douglas’s life by using the button below.