RAPID CITY, SD | John F. Buege, 86, Rapid City, passed away Sunday, May 19, 2024, at Monument Health Rapid City Hospital.

John was born the second of five children on September 28, 1937 in Manitowoc, WI, to Albert and Helen (Hallada) Buege. He played basketball and football at Lincoln High School in Manitowoc before attending the University of Wisconsin and earning his Bachelors of Business Administration.

In 1958, he married MaryAnne Kolbeck, with whom he had four children: Steve, Andy, Michele, and Nathan. John and MaryAnne divorced in 1968.

On August 2, 1971, in Reno, NV, John married the love of his life, Jeanette Cipov. He and Jeanette had one child, Jennifer. They lived an adventurous, generous, and faith-filled life together for almost 53 years. They met at S.C. Johnson Wax, where they both worked. After tiring of corporate politics, John became an entrepreneur, first owning a furniture refinishing business in Racine, WI. In 1979, John and Jeanette made a leap of faith and bought The Ranch Supper Club in Hayward, WI, where they fed and entertained local and vacationing diners for eight years. In 1987, the family moved to Green Bay, WI, where John embarked on several entrepreneurial ventures for over a decade.

In the fall of 1999, John and Jeanette decided to dedicate their time to volunteering and moved to Kentucky, where they volunteered for the Christian Appalachian Project for one year. In 2000, they left Kentucky to volunteer with the Franciscan Covenant Program in San Juan Bautista, CA at the St. Francis Retreat Center. After two years of volunteering, they became directors of the program.

In 2005, they returned to Wisconsin to care for Jeanette's ailing mother and reconnect with old friends and family. They left WI in 2011 and traveled for several months, spending time in Renton, WA with their daughter, Michele, and in Surprise, AZ with John's sister Gretchen. In 2012, they settled in Marietta, GA, near their daughter Jennifer and John's brother Paul. When John's sister Betty needed additional care in 2016, they moved to Surprise, AZ for six years. While in Surprise, they spent time with family and made new friends through their bowling league. They moved to Rapid City in 2022 to be near their son, Steve.

John was known for his generosity and kindness, his wood-working skills, his jokes, and his baking, particularly his Christmas fruitcakes.

John is survived by his wife, Jeanette Buege; sons Steve (Theresa) Buege, Andy (Diana) Buege, and Nathan (Angela) Buege; daughter Jennifer Buege; brother Paul (Pril) Buege; sisters Gretchen Weaver and Paulette (Frank) Endejan; 11 grandchildren; and 11 great-grandchildren.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Albert and Helen Buege; his daughter, Michele Buege; and his sister, Betty Richmond.

A mass of Christian burial will be held at 10:30 a.m., Friday, May 24, 2024 at St. Isaac Jogues Catholic Church in Rapid City, SD. A memorial service for family and friends is being planned for the summer of 2024 in Racine, WI.