Doyle Wild Buckwalter, 85, our beloved father, graduated from this life on December 31, 2023 surrounded and supported by family. We will remember Dad for his wisdom, loving guidance, wonderful story-telling, hard work, and service. He was a true example of what it is to be a disciple of Christ. We love and miss him greatly!

Doyle was born to Morris Binns and Thelma Gardner Buckwalter on Feb. 28,1938 in Rigby, Idaho. He was the fourth of their seven children.

He spent his formative years in Oregon, graduating from La Grande High School in 1956. As a young man, Doyle was actively involved in high school athletics, lettering in basketball, football, and track. He enjoyed being involved in student government and community affairs. He participated in the Model United Nations program, and served as Boy Governor for the State of Oregon during his senior year. These early experiences shaped his lifelong love for public service.

His summers were spent on the family's ranches in Montana and Utah where he further developed his strong work ethic. Many of his experiences on the ranch and in the mountain pastures became great fuel for his wonderful storytelling.

After high school, Doyle served as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the West German Mission (1958-1961), and also had a supportive role with leaders of the broader European Mission. His missionary service was a defining period of his life, which he carried forward in a lifetime of service to the Lord and fellowman.

Upon completion of his mission, Doyle returned to Brigham Young University, where he completed both BA and MS degrees in political science in 1964. While there, he met and fell in love with Sondra Harmon after they were set up on a blind date by a mutual friend. She had previously graduated from BYU and was teaching elementary school in Spanish Fork, Utah. After a whirlwind courtship they were sealed in the Manti Utah Temple on July 20, 1962. Dad always said that marrying her was the greatest and most influential decision he'd made in his life. They were inseparable, and she was always his best support. They combined their honeymoon trip with a research grant from BYU, traveling some 13,000 miles interviewing Vietnamese students at colleges throughout the U.S. and later spending a summer at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Test Station in China Lake, California, where he focused on understanding guerilla warfare strategies.

In 1965 Doyle and Sondra moved their small family, now including two daughters, to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor for nearly 4 years, where he completed his PhD studies on strategic decision-making related to the Vietnam War and received his PhD in1968. After publication of his dissertation he had subsequent experiences that he said were most challenging to his family, as interviews and appearances before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee were filled with pressure.

Receiving his PhD led him back to BYU, where his career as a professor brought him great joy and allowed him to have a deep impact in the lives of his students and the communities they would go on to serve. In the early 1970s, as a founding faculty member of the Master of Public Administration degree program at BYU, he worked tirelessly to prepare students for careers in public service at all levels of government, but especially in city and county management. During these busy years, two sons were added to the family. Dad was a gifted teacher in the classroom, and was instrumental in establishing BYU's Washington Seminar Program. Perhaps his greatest impact came through the passion and effort he put into helping students secure internships and job opportunities as the Romney Institute internship coordinator, which aided the launch of so many careers. That legacy continues long after his retirement in 2000, through a scholarship his former students created in his name.

Doyle served as chairman of the Orem City Strategic Planning Commission, chairman of the Orem Recreation Advisory Commission, was a leader and active member of the Orem Chapter of the Kiwanis Club. He received the Arthur V. Watkins Citizen of the Year award from Provo/Orem

Chamber of Commerce, Walter C. Orem Award for years of service to the community, and the Utah Community Progress Certificate of Recognition from Governor Calvin Rampton. He was recipient of the Silver Beaver Award, the highest award an adult scouting volunteer can receive. Doyle was honored as BYU's Outstanding Educator, received the Lifetime Service Award from the Utah Chapter of the American Society for Public Administration, and the Marriott School's Citizenship Award for his many years of service to students and colleagues alike.

Doyle was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and steadfastly served in countless callings throughout his life. From 2008-2010 he and Sondra served as Senior Missionaries at the Historic Kirtland Visitor Center. Most recently, he enjoyed serving as Stake Patriarch.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 61 years, his parents, a sister, Diana Jean Buckwalter, and a brother, Ray Buckwalter. He is survived by his siblings – Morris Buckwalter, Dolores Banton, Adele Blackburn, and Briant Buckwalter.

His living posterity includes: Kristen (Ron) Bartholomew of Orem, UT; Beth (David) Schulte of Kokomo, IN; Wayne (Becky) Buckwalter of Orem, UT; Neal (Lynnette) Buckwalter of Grand Rapids, MI; 18 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.