Before her passing at the age of 96, Doreen Edna Buhler led a challenging yet extraordinary life. Following the death of her father, she departed from the farm in Calahoo, Alta., her birthplace, and established a new life in the urban setting, collaborating with her husband at his family’s diner in Edmonton. Left a widow at 39, Buhler drew strength from her faith and supported her 13 children by working as a baker, pastry chef, and cook in various kitchens across the city.
Buhler’s narrative did not conclude with her demise. As per her final wishes, she bequeathed her body to the University of Alberta’s Anatomical Gifts Program to allow future medical practitioners to benefit from the vessel that had carried her through life.
Brigid Burton, her daughter, described Buhler as “incredible” during a commemorative event for anatomical donors at the University of Alberta, emphasizing that her mother had a whole other chapter to her life.
‘A remarkable gift’
Annually, students and staff congregate on campus in spring to pay tribute to those who have donated their bodies to the program. The Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry hosted the annual memorial on Saturday, with hundreds in attendance at a campus lecture hall.
The names of the donors were recited, followed by a moment of silence and the presentation of fresh-cut yellow roses to the families.
Dr. David Williams, the surgery department chair, expressed gratitude to donor families for honoring their loved ones’ wishes and contributing to the education of numerous U of A medical students each year.
“The human body is an invaluable teacher,” he stated at the service, referring to it as “a remarkable gift.”
Anatomical donations play a crucial role in various health and research programs on campus, including medicine, dentistry, kinesiology, physical therapy, and physical education.
The memorial brought closure to Burton and her brother Anthony Buhler.
Following her demise on April 29, 2024, Doreen Edna Buhler, as revealed by her children in an interview with CBC News, had long expressed her intention to donate her body.
Anthony Buhler regarded her donation as the final act in a remarkable life.
She met her husband, Patrick, while employed at his family’s diner on Jasper Avenue and raised their children in an upstairs apartment.
After Patrick’s sudden death in 1967, she worked as the head cook at St. Vincent’s Convent and later in the kitchens of the Court of Queen’s Bench.
Described as a resilient woman of faith, her daughter Burton views her act of donation as an extension of the generosity and selflessness that characterized her mother’s life.
Having completed her time as a donor, they plan to lay her ashes to rest beside her husband.
“It brings a sense of finality. Yet, over the past two years, an incredible legacy has been established,” stated Burton.
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