Honoring the Memory
of Those
We Love

Age 87, of Brentwood, went home to be with the Lord on Tuesday, May 5, 2026.

Buzz leaves behind his best friend and dearly loved wife, Nancey Deanne (Sayers), the girl across the street whom he married 64 years ago; his four children: Bernard Thomas (Alison) Kwiatkowski, Deanne (Stan) Buczkowski, Patricia (Brent) Bonifield, and Valerie Kwiatkowski, as well as five adored grandchildren-Brianna (Jake) Brown, Sarah (Isaiah) Rupp, Caleb (Isabella) Buczkowski, Isabella Bonifield, and Brennan Bonifield-and five precious great-granddaughters. His family will miss him dearly until they are reunited again in eternity.

Buzz was born to the late Bernard Francis and Viola (Debski) Kwiatkowski and raised on the South Side of Pittsburgh alongside his late brother, Thomas F. Kwiatkowski. He was adored by his parents and grandparents, who all helped raise him in a blue-collar community. It was here he developed a deep love of family, a respect for discipline, and a lifelong appetite for reading.

Buzz served in the United States Army and soon began married life and raising a family. As the sole breadwinner in those early years, he became an avid student of life. He enjoyed weightlifting well into his senior years and was a “chain reader,” building an extensive book collection.

Buzz and Nancey made their home in Brentwood Borough for over 60 years, in a house affectionately known as “208.” Family, neighbors and friends were always welcomed around the dining room table, on the front porch or back patio, or along the paths where he walked his blind rescue dog, Katie - he had a heart for all types of animals. Buzz had a unique way of spinning a conversation, turning an evening into a philosophical debate or one filled with laughter.

For decades, Buzz faithfully walked to catch the bus to and from downtown for work, accepting any opportunity for overtime to provide for his family. He supported his wife, children, and grandchildren in pursuing higher education, celebrating each achievement with quiet enthusiasm publicly and great joy in private. He took pride in his family and surprised many with the tender side evident with his grandchildren. Buzz was an in-demand babysitter for his grandchildren in their early years and became a trusted source for guidance as they navigated life’s challenges, always recognizing effort and risk, and reminding them that failure has value.

As a member of the Brentwood community, Buzz made friends wherever he went-walking his dog, volunteering with his wife at the voting polls, shopping locally, and attending St. Norbert’s Catholic Church. With his extended family, he especially enjoyed the Fourth of July, watching the Brentwood parade and hosting an annual cookout in his garage, decorated in red, white, and blue. His excitement as his grandchildren arrived to walk to the parade was unmistakable. Each year, his strides grew shorter but quicker as he kept up with the children he cherished.

Buzz often said that his family was the best thing he ever did. With certainty, his family will miss him dearly until they are reunited again in eternity.

Friends and family will be received at John F. Slater Funeral Home, Inc., 412-881-4100, 4201 Brownsville Road, Brentwood, PA 15227, on Wednesday, May 13, 2026 from 3-7 p.m. where a celebration of Bernard’s life will be held in the funeral home Chapel at 7:00 p.m.