Rebecca R. Buford

Rebecca Ruth Buford “Becky,” age 71 passed away on Easter Sunday, April 4th 2021 at her home in Freeport, Florida.

Becky was born August 29th 1949 in Rochester NY, to Douglass Duane Lagenor and Ruth Lois Reazor. After the passing of Ruth while Becky was an infant, Douglass married Dorothy Bissett Montgomery. They then moved to Oakridge, Oregon where Becky spent her childhood years with her older brothers who delighted in playing pranks on her, and the baby sister she so loved. 

After high school, Becky moved to Hawthorne Nevada. There she met and married Richard Barnhurst and they had two sons, David and Michael. She later married Alfred J. Buford Jr. gaining Al’s two sons, Andrew and Anthony. Al and Becky started their life adventure by moving to California, then purchasing a sail boat to begin a 9 month voyage down the coast of California, through the Panama Canal, up to Louisiana and ultimately to their final stop of Florida. Together in Florida they welcomed two additional children, Charlton and Curstin. 

Becky was devoted to her friends and family near and far. She loved to cook biscuits and gravy for guests as she hosted in her beautiful home on the bay. She was an avid reader well-known by the Freeport Public Library, as she visited weekly to maintain her extensive home supply of reading material. 

Becky was preceded in death by her husband Al, parents Ruth, Douglass and Dorothy, brother Sidney Montgomery, and son Andrew Buford.

She is survived by her brother Stanley (Janice) Montgomery of Sebring, FL, sister Lisa Hopwood of Oakridge OR, sons David (Jill) Barnhurst and Michael Barnhurst of Atlanta GA, son Anthony Buford of Bonifay FL, son Charlton Buford of Winnemucca NV, and daughter Curstin (Stephen) Rutherford of Mary Esther FL. She is also survived by grandchildren Taylor Sullivan (Joshua Johnson) of Freeport FL, Timothy and Julianna Barnhurst of Atlanta Georgia, Sarah, Wolfgang, Nathaniel, Zachary, Brianna, and Joseph Rutherford, all of Mary Esther FL, great grandchildren Kai and Elliott Johnson of Freeport FL, Vincent Maguire of Crestview FL and Roslyn Lorenzen of Mary Esther FL, nieces Jolene Ross and Shawna Buttram of Oakridge OR and nephew Michael Johnson of Oakridge OR. Becky is also survived by those that became family via Al’s family in Louisiana, and Pam and Annette Sullivan who became family and helped Becky to be able to stay in her beautiful home until the end of her life. 

A graveside service will be held at Heritage Gardens Cemetery in Niceville FL on Saturday, April 10th at 10:00 AM. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that monetary donations be made to the Freeport Library. Checks may be made out to Friends of the Freeport Public Library, noted In Memory of Rebecca Buford, and mailed to 76 State HWY 20 W Freeport FL 32439.

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