Rudy Buchheit

The founder of the Buchheit company was laid to rest in the St. Maurus Catholic Church cemetery across the highway in Biehle from his home and the corporate headquarters of an enterprise with 800 employees in Missouri, Illinois and Pennsylvania. Rudy Buchheit had spent all of his 96 years in Perry County, and his devotion to hard work and family values along with his generosity to others will long be remembered.

Buchheit was born on a farm in Apple Creek. He opened his first store during the Great Depression. The store in Biehle, surrounded by fertile Perry County farmland, defied the competition of big-box stores by catering to the rural values of his loyal customers. Where else could you buy farm equipment, home canning supplies, a grandfather clock and rock candy all in one stop? While there, you were bound to run across some of your friends and neighbors.

For 75 years Buchheit watched his company grow. New stores were built in rural markets, always with an emphasis on giving customers what they wanted. "No matter how busy he was, he always took time to visit with customers, and they trusted him," said his son, Tim Buchheit, president of the company. "That's how he built his business to what it has become today."