345 S 14th St. 

312 Division 

2250 5th St. 

110 Silverton Rd. 

2nd – Clarice V. Dewing Hvidston 

3rd – Verna Fenske 

2nd – 31 July 1939 in Olympia, WA 

3rd – 3 Sep 1983 in Portland, OR 

*The research subject used both the last names Buller and Bueller throughout his life, with no clear indication of a formal change in primary and secondary source documents. 

Clarence Buller was born 27 Nov 1911, in Bloomfield, Montana to Joseph W. and Lena E. [Schmidt] Buller. The eldest of two children born to the couple, he grew up on his father’s farm. In 1920, the family moved to Oregon. They farmed one year near Dallas and then purchased a poultry farm on Turner Rd. near Salem. Clarence attended public schools, graduated from Salem High School and taught music.  

March 1, 1934, Clarence started work at the Thomas Kay Woolen Mill in the weaving department. His uncle Detrick R. Schmidt [Dick Smith] also worked at the mill. 

Clarence married Louise B. Ponitz on 8 Oct 1935, in a ceremony at the Lutheran parsonage of Rev. Paul K. Kunzman in Vancouver, WA. The couple set up their home at 355 S. 14th St. in Salem, but divorced two years later. 

Clarence remarried on 31 July 1939. The bride’s name was Clarice [Dewing] Hvidston. She was a widow from Minnesota with two children. They were married before a Justice of the Peace in Olympia, WA. The couple would have two children of their own: Jerome and Diane. 

In the 1940 census, 28-year old Clarence was recorded as a weaver at the woolen mill. He owned a home valued at $1500 on Silverton Rd. in the Hayesville area. The previous year, he worked 48 weeks at 40 hours per week. His household included his wife, Clarice, stepchildren Betty and Robert, and his own son, Jerome Bueller. 

In 1940, Clarence left woolen mill work to help build Camp Adair in rural Polk County and then worked at the shipyards in Portland. His World War II draft registration described him as 5’8” tall, 145 lbs, with a dark brown complexion, brown hair and hazel eyes. 

After the war, Clarence returned to Salem and worked as an electrician for Portland General Electric [PGE]. The 1950 census recorded him as 38 years old.  He lived in Salem with his wife, Clarice, and their two children, Jerome and Diane. 

In 1961, son Jerome, a 21-year-old Oregon State University engineering student and member of the Beaver Sports Parachuting Club, died in a fall from an airplane when his parachute failed to open. It was a tragic blow to the family. They buried their son in City View Cemetery. 

Clarence retired on 28 June 1974 after 24 years of working for PGE. In 1976, he and Clarice moved to Gresham, OR to be closer to their daughter and grandchild.  

Clarice died 11 July 1982 and was buried beside their son in City View Cemetery in Salem. Clarence remarried a third time on 3 Sep 1983 to Verna Fenske in Portland. She died in 2000. 

Clarence died at the age of 96, on 28 Jun 2008 in Gresham, OR and was buried in City View Cemetery with his wife Clarice and son Jerome. His obituary described him as a hard worker who enjoyed building boats and homes, loved fishing and dancing, and remained active into his 90s, swimming and caring for his home. He spent much of his retirement fishing on the Oregon Coast and later took up square dancing with his third wife. 

1935  Buller Clarence F, weaver, TKWM Co, r 355 S 14th 

1936-37  Buller Clarence F (Louise B), weaver, h 312 Division 

1938-39  Buller Clarence F, weaver, r 2250 5th 

1940-41  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice V) weaver, h 110 Silverton rd 

1942  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice) electrician, h 110 Silverton rd 

1945  Bueller, Clarence F (Claire V) electrician, Walton-Brown Elec Co, h 3225 Silverton rd 

1947  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice V) electrician, Walton-Brown Elec Co, h 3135 Silverton rd 

1949  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice V) electrician, Walton-Brown Elec Co, h 3135 Silverton rd 

1953-54  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice V) electrician, h 2535 Silverton rd 

1955  Bueller Clarence (Clarice V) electrician, Portland Genl Elec, h 2535 Silverton rd 

1957  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice V) electrician, 2535 Silverton rd 

1959  Bueller Clarence F (Clarice V) electrician, 2535 Silverton rd 

1930  Clarence F. Buller. Age: 18. Birth Year: abt 1912 in Montana. Home in 1930: Turner Rd. Salem, Marion, OR. Single, son to HOH. Additional household members: Joseph W. Buller, age 43 (father), Lena E. Buller, age 41 (mother), Ethel Mae Buller, age 15 (sister). 

1940  C. F. Bueller. Age: 28. Birth Year: abt 1912 in Montana. Home in 1940: Silverton Rd. Hayesville, Marion, OR. Married, HOH. Inferred residence in 1935: Salem, Marion, OR. Occupation: Weaver. Additional household members: Clarice Bueller, age 34 (wife), Betty J. Hridster [Hvidston], age 13 (stepdaughter), Robert D. Hridster [Hvidston], age 10 (stepson), Jerome Bueller, age 1 month (son). 

1950  Clarence F. Bueller. Age: 38. Birth Year: abt 1912 in Montana. Home in 1950: Salem, Marion, OR. Married, HOH. Occupation: General Electrician for Electric Company. Additional household members: Clarice V. Bueller, age 44 (wife), Jerome O. Bueller, age 10 (son), Diane E. Bueller, age 6 (daughter). 

Clarice V. Dewing Bueller  Birth: 25 Mar 1905, Stephen, Marshall County, Minnesota. Death: 10 Jul 1982 (aged 77) Gresham, Multnomah County, Oregon. Burial: City View Cemetery, Salem, Marion County, Oregon. Plot: Sec. U. Memorial ID: 74328961 

Marengo Beacon/Republican News 17 Oct 1935, p. 4 – Marriage [Louise Ponitz] 

Oregon Statesman 10 Apr 1937, p. 3 – Divorce [Louise] 

Oregon Statesman 4 Dec 1960, p. 28 – Golden Anniversary of Buller’s parents [history of their emigration to Oregon and homesteads] 

Oregon Statesman 17 Apr 1961 p. 1 – Death of son 

Oregon Statesman 13 July 1982, p. 5 – Death of wife [Clarice] 

Oregonian 3 July 2008 – Obituary  

Statesman Journal 3 July 2008, p. 16 – Obituary  

M3 1966-001-001     Fingerprint Records, WWII Millworkers