Raymond G. "Buzz" Chamberlain

1937 - 2023

News story
By Mark Zaborney
Blade Staff Writer

Raymond G. "Buzz" Chamberlain, who achieved success as a salesman with a legacy Toledo-founded hardware distributor and as a business owner in Whitehouse, died Nov. 18 in Ayden Healthcare of Waterville. He was 85.

His health had been declining in recent months, his son Jeff Chamberlain said.

He retired officially more than a decade ago from General Pro Hardware in Whitehouse, which he opened in 1972. He still came to the store for years afterward

"If there was a big decision to make, I talked to him about it," said the younger Mr. Chamberlain, who is owner and chief executive.

Mr. Chamberlain retired at age 65 from the Bostwick-Braun Co. after 49 years.

His first duties with the wholesale hardware distributor, begun in Toledo circa 1855, had him working in its warehouse at Summit and Monroe streets. That background gave him hands-on experience with the items he offered Toledo-area hardware stores when he became a salesman.

"He knew the stock," the younger Mr. Chamberlain said. "He touched every bit of it in the warehouse for the first couple, three years."

His customers included stores affiliated with the Pro Hardware group and independent businesses.

"Dad was pretty personable. He was easy to get along with," his son said. "And one thing about him, he knew how to make money."

He could advise the businesses on how to set up their stores and what to buy - and when.

"All those stores back then had longtime owners that made their livelihoods, and then their sons and daughters came in," the younger Mr. Chamberlain said. "He became part of their families. He didn't give up on anybody."

For his sales prowess, he attained the company president's million-dollar sales club.

Mr. Chamberlain also owned General Pro Hardware in Whitehouse which opened as an outgrowth of a project he took on to rehabilitate the building that previously held the Don Scott automobile dealership. Mr. Scott sold the structure to Mr. Chamberlain and his wife, Kathleen. The building by the early 1980s had a carryout store, a salon, an antique shop, a restaurant, office space, and, upstairs, apartments.

The hardware store occupied much of the main floor.

Mr. Chamberlain told The Blade's Don Wolfe in 1982 that he had envisioned multibusiness possibilities for the building in an era when some communities tore down old buildings.

"I wanted to see what actually could be done to keep a vibrant atmosphere in the business district," he said then.

Before heading to his Bostwick-Braun duties, Mr. Chamberlain opened up General Pro Hardware for the retirees who staffed the store during the day. Son Jeff took over after school. And after work, Mr. Chamberlain did much of the bookwork and took charge of fixing screens and windows.

"He liked to work day and night," his son said. The store relocated to a newly built structure across the street in 1989, and a family restaurant and other businesses still occupy the original building.

He became a licensed auctioneer and presided at diverse sales, including hardware store liquidations, livestock auctions, and wood craft auctions. He also helped out at the Lucas County Fair for years.

He was a charter member of the Anthony Wayne Community Improvement Corp., to encourage economic development projects in the Whitehouse and Waterville area.

In that role, he made sure "things moved along and progressed positively," said Darryl K. "Bud" Bauman, retired president of his family's business, Whitehouse Motors.

"He always had a great smile," Mr. Bauman said. "He was jovial and positive. He wasn't a doomsayer. He liked to greet people and had a good handshake."

He was born Dec. 6, 1937, to Elizabeth and Ovid Chamberlain, the second of what would be four children, and grew up on a farm near Swanton. He was a 1955 graduate of Swanton High School, where he played football.

A veteran, he was honorably discharged from the Army Reserve as a sergeant in 1966.

Surviving are his wife, the former Kathleen Ann Long, whom he married Oct. 10, 1959; sons Jeffrey Chamberlain and David Chamberlain; daughter, Jill Eubank; brother, Lyle Chamberlain; sister, Linda Sue Buck; eight grandchildren, and a great-granddaughter.

A memorial service will be held in spring, 2024. Arrangements are by Weigel Funeral Home, Swanton.

The family suggests tributes to the building fund of Community of Christ Lutheran Church, Whitehouse, of which he was a charter member, or Whitehouse American Legion Post 384.