Lewis Buller

1934 - 2018

Lewis Buller August 20, 1934 - November 5, 2018 San Diego Lewis Buller was born in Harrison Township, Oklahoma, on August, 20th, 1934, to Ellen Curtis Buller and Arthur Buller. He spent his childhood years in New Harmony, Indiana. Lew enlisted in the Army after high school immediately after the Korean War, but was diverted from service in Korea to a job as a clerk-typist in Japan. Lew considered his two years serving in Japan to be among the best of his life, and often gave thanks to his high school typing teacher for this stroke of good luck. After leaving the military Lew studied accounting and economics at Indiana State University and the University of Illinois where he earned a PhD in Accounting. During his years as a student, Lew and his first wife, Betsy Buller, welcomed the births of their two sons, Steven and Lyle. Lew's academic life included work as a professor at Indiana State University and a year as a visiting professor in Bergen, Norway. He also spent six years working for the American Institute of CPAs in New York City, and a number of years at the international accounting firm Coopers & Lybrand (now PricewaterhouseCoopers) where he was a Director of Technical Education. Lew did what few accounting professors would dare to do and taught a CPA review course to students as he studied for the exam himself. In May of 1968, after taking the CPA exam with his students, he received a gold medal for the highest CPA exam results in the state of Indiana. Lew moved from the East Coast to San Diego in 1982 where he met his second wife, Martha Altus, during his first week in town. Lew worked as a professor at San Diego State University for several years and as a controller for a large local company. In the late 1980s Lew retired from his work as a professor and accountant and threw himself with a passion into the study of horticulture, and in particular bonsai. He authored dozens of articles for bonsai magazines as well as the book Saikei and Art: Miniature Landscapes. Lew spent many happy years working as an arborist apprentice to his friend Steve Valentine, tending his numerous bonsai, writing, studying, and both giving and receiving bonsai lessons. Lew served as president of the San Diego Bonsai Club, volunteered tending the bonsai collection at the Wild Animal Park, the Japanese Friendship Garden, and even volunteered at the splendid collection at the National Arboretum in Washington DC. He was one of several curators for the (then) bonsai collection at the Mingei Museum. One article he authored, Bonsai I Have Killed, was particularly popular and was translated into Chinese and published in China. All bonsai artists have killed a number of their own trees, a traumatic event when the tree is particularly loved, but Lew was among the few who chose to write about it. In 1996, Lew's younger son Lyle committed suicide. Lew became seriously depressed due to this tragedy and spent much time trying to make sense of the mental illness that had plagued his family and himself. For a number of years Lew attended the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance in San Diego. He was forever grateful for the friends he met there. Lew was open to discussing this part of his life with anyone who was interested, in the hope of doing his small part to reduce the stigma of mental illness. Lew will be greatly missed. He leaves behind his wife Martha, his son Steven, and friends he loved and who sustained him.He was preceded in death by siblings Verlin Buller, Orville Buller, and Carol (Buller) Hardy, and is survived by his brother Dale Buller. Lew leaves a legacy of courage and humor in the face of life's difficulties. In early 2018 Lew was diagnosed with dementia. Lew's family thanks the Mission Bay ActivCare and the kindness of the staff there who made his final time on earth worth living.