Dr. Marvin (Bud) Buncher "Doc"

Dr. Marvin (Bud) Buncher “Doc”, 100, entered into rest on February 9, 2023. Formerly of Pittsburgh, husband of Beatrice “Bebe” (Mitchell); father of Jeffrey Buncher, MD, (Elizabeth) of Charleston, SC, Robert Buncher (Karen) and Cynthia Buncher Savitt of Pittsburgh, and Barbara Buncher Gibson of Atlanta, GA; grandfather of Titania (Bjorn) Jordan, Jacqueline (Kyle) Martin, Jeffrey Jr. (Elissa), Janna and Jonathan Buncher; great-grandfather of Jackson, Beau, Ryan, Caden and Lincoln; son of the late Peter and Leah (Schugar) Buncher, brother of the late Marilynn Janoff. A 1940 graduate of Taylor Alderdice High School, Dr. Buncher attended Duquesne University where he earned his Bachelor and Masters Degrees in Education and became a distinguished ROTC military graduate. From there, he pursued his Doctoral studies at the University of Pittsburgh and West Virginia University. He earned his Doctorate Degree from Lincoln Chiropractic College, where he later served as Psychology Dept. Chairman. Dr. Buncher had a distinguished military career. He was a member of the PA National Guard Medical Unit, 28th Division. Then he joined the Army and became a member of the Medical Corps of the 83rd Division. In that Division, he played on the Artillery basketball and boxing teams before he was sent overseas to fight proudly for his country during World War II at the invasion of Normandy and through five battle campaigns. He earned a Purple Heart, Bronze Star, 5 Battle Stars, and Combat Medical Badge. After World War II, he served as Commanding Officer of the PA Air National Guard Medical Unit, 212th Group. A chiropractic physician during the early 1950s, Dr. Buncher was a pioneer of the Brookline business scene, becoming the first entrepreneur to combine his residence and private practice on Brookline Blvd. He specialized in athletic injuries and treated many patients, including famed quarterback Johnny Unitas. He served as President of the Brookline Chamber of Commerce in 1956. Dr. Buncher served as team physician for Duquesne University’s basketball team in the 1950s, when they won the National Invitational at Madison Square Garden. An educator, Dr. Buncher was a faculty member at the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, where he taught anatomy, pathology, and toxicology in the 1950s. As Athletic Director, Dean of Students, and Vice President of Student Affairs at Point Park College in the 1960s, he contributed greatly to its growth and success. During his tenure there, he formed Point Park College’s first basketball team and laid the groundwork for scull racing and rowing on the Allegheny and Mon Rivers. If it was a canoe race on the Mon or a tug of war, he was always there with his students in his famous “Doc” sweatshirt. He received the Pittsburgh Post Gazette Dapper Dan Award for his outstanding contribution to college sports. In the midst of the turbulent early 1960s of college campus violence and unrest, his forward thinking compelled him to promote student rights and freedom. Dr. Buncher left Pittsburgh in 1973 and eventually relocated his private practice to North Augusta, SC, where he resided until his death. He served as the SC delegate to the American Chiropractic Association and earned a Diplomate Certification in Clinical Nutrition from the American Clinical Board of Nutrition. He served as Commander of the Aiken, SC Chapter of Purple Hearts and American Legion Post 71. He served on the Board of Directors of the North Augusta Chamber of Commerce for many years. He was also a member of the Kiwanis, Lions and Optimist Clubs, and a 32nd Degree Mason and member of the Shrine. No visitation. Private burial at Mt. Lebanon Cemetery. If you desire, please send donations to the American Diabetes Association. Funeral Services will be conducted by Laughlin Funeral Home of Mt. Lebanon, PA. Posey Funeral Directors of North Augusta, SC is assisting the family with local arrangements.

Tributes

Dr. Marvin (Bud) Buncher "Doc"

May 28, 1922 - February 9, 2023