Constantine Peter Beler

Buzz Beler, founder and co-owner of the Prime Rib Restaurants in Baltimore and Washington, D.C., died October 23 in Charlottesville, Virginia, where he had recently relocated to be near family and his beloved horses. He was 90.

After graduating from the University of Virginia, where he was a proud member of the equestrian community, Buzz served in the Army, earned a juris doctorate from the University of Maryland, and briefly practiced law in the Baltimore area before embarking on a career in the restaurant business.

In 1965, Buzz and his late brother C. Nicholas ("Nick") Beler, sons of restaurateurs Cleo Hariklea ("Hattie") Beler and Peter Beler, co-founded The Prime Rib in Baltimore, which they modeled after a popular Manhattan restaurant. After much success in Baltimore, the brothers opened the Washington, D.C., restaurant in 1976.

While most of Buzz's time was spent in his restaurants, he was an avid golfer and enjoyed horseracing. He was an active member of Burning Tree Club in Bethesda, Maryland, and Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York. Buzz will be remembered as a gracious and generous gentleman, who will be missed by the countless friends he made through his business endeavors and his family.

Buzz is survived by a son, Peter Hill Beler, of Northern Virginia. In accordance with his wishes, services will be private. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Johns Hopkins Medical Center.