Millard Ray Buchmann was larger than life, in every way. At 6-foot-4, he was known as “Big Ray,” and he lived up to the nickname – excelling in sports, music and academics in his youth, and then as a businessman, civic leader and philanthropist. He was a talented musician, creative chef, bold adventurer and avid fisherman who traveled the world, often behind the controls of his own airplane. In his later years, he was also known as “Daddy Ray” – the proud patriarch of an extended family that he anchored with his beloved wife, Mary Benton.
Ray was a true Renaissance man who was uncommonly strong both in mind and body – he managed a hereditary skin cancer condition throughout his life and overcame brain cancer at age 83. But at 88 he was unable to shake pneumonia, and he died on June 5, 2026, surrounded by family and loved ones.
Ray was born July 16, 1937, in Tennessee, the eldest child of Millard R. and Nell Buchmann. The family soon moved to Cullman, Alabama, where they were the original owners of several well known businesses, including the B & B Cafe, the All Steak Restaurant and Buchmann Tire & Retreading. By night, they were musicians, performing throughout the region as the Millard Buchmann Orchestra. Ray worked in the family businesses and played tenor saxophone in the band.
A graduate of Cullman High School, he distinguished himself both academically and athletically, serving as co-captain of the Cullman High School basketball team in 1955 and earning recognition as Most Valuable Player of the Tennessee Valley Conference Basketball Western Division that same year. His drive and discipline earned him a basketball scholarship to St. Bernard Junior College, where he earned a degree in 1957. He went on to the University of Alabama, where he earned a B.S. pre-med degree and competed in All Intramural Basketball in 1959.
Ray served as a staff sergeant in the Alabama Air National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1966. He also earned a private pilot license —an achievement that reflected his adventurous spirit and readiness to meet challenges with confidence and skill.
In business, Ray’s work ethic and leadership were exceptional. He expanded the family business as president and owner of Buchmann Tire, which became one of the largest tire retreading operations in the country, and also operated 11 People’s Tires & Service stores in North Alabama and Tennessee. His influence extended well beyond his own company: he served as president of both the Alabama Tire Dealers Association and the National Tire Dealers Association. He was chairman of the Sunbelt Tire Marketers Group and represented tire dealers from the U.S. and Canada at BIPAVER (International Tire Dealers Association) in Monaco.
Ray’s life was also rich with music and friendship. In 1955, he was first chair clarinet in the Cullman High School Band and was selected for All State. In addition to the family orchestra, he was a performer and business manager for the University of Alabama Rock and Roll Playboys band, and played sax with The Larks combo in Cullman. Whether in business, music, or daily life, Ray was a dynamic and engaging presence with a gift for bringing people together.
He also gave generously of his time and talents to the community. Ray served as chairman for Cullman County’s first cancer crusade and served on the city of Cullman’s first three-member personnel board. Appointed by Sen. Howell Heflin, he represented Alabama at the White House Conference on Small Business, attending meetings led by President Ronald Reagan. He was president of the Cullman County Chamber of Commerce and led the fundraising efforts to build the Colonel Cullman home — work that reflected his commitment to preserving and strengthening the place he called home.
Baptized at First Baptist Church in Cullman, Ray’s faith remained an important part of his life. In 2015, he was confirmed and became a member of St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman.
At the heart of Ray’s life was his devoted love for his wife, Benton, and their family. Ray and Benton were childhood acquaintances in Cullman who fell in love during college and married in 1965. Their two children, Ray Brindley and Anna, were born soon after. Ray and Benton worked hard in the tire business while also making time for their love for travel, flying the family to destinations around the country in Ray’s airplane. Ray was also the family chef who excelled at grilling and baking, honing his skills by attending Paul Prudhomme’s culinary academy in New Orleans.
Ray was a superlative father who loved spending time with his children and mentoring them and their friends. He took great pride in his kids’ accomplishments, never failing to mention their academic credentials when he introduced them to others. After both children married and settled in the San Francisco Bay Area, Ray and Benton were thrilled to welcome four grandchildren, frequently traveling to California to spend time with their growing family, and taking them all on trips around the country.
After retiring, Ray and Benton rediscovered a passion for fly-fishing, traveling not just to rivers and lakes in the Southeast, but to destinations as far away as Alaska, the Bahamas and New Zealand. Ray built a hobby business building custom fishing rods while Benton taught the fly-tying course for “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” sponsored by Alabama Game & Fish. Their partnership was not only enduring, but active, filled with shared purpose, laughter and the kind of companionship that grows deeper with time.
Ray and Benton also poured their energy into others. For 12 years, they organized a fishing event for the children at Childhaven in Cullman, supported by volunteer instructors and cooks. Each all-day outing welcomed 40–50 children who learned to fish, then enjoyed their catch at a cookout that included Ray’s famous homemade ice cream. In another lasting act of generosity, the Buchmanns restored and donated their family instruments and purchased dozens of new ones for students in the band program at Cullman Middle School.
Throughout his life, Ray remained a learner: curious, practical and determined to keep moving forward. By the early 2000s he and Benton had sold the old retreading plant property in Cullman on Highway 31, which became a Walgreen’s, as well as their remaining store, the original People’s Tires, which was replaced by a Dick’s Sporting Goods and Publix Super Market. Ray welcomed this new chapter by immediately doing two things: enrolling in a community-college computer class for seniors, and seeking out information to deepen his knowledge of finances and investments. It was a fitting reflection of a man who met every season with resolve and good sense.
Ray was preceded in death by his father, Millard R. Buchmann, and his mother, Nell (Brindley) Buchmann, alongside his son-in-law, Nathan Gilbert.
Surviving are his loving wife of 61 years, Benton; sisters Kay Yager (widow of Harold) and Jeanie Brindley-Barnett (Steve); son, Ray Brindley (Marjorie); daughter, Anna Gilbert (widow of Nathan); and grandchildren, Evan Brindley, Jillian Brindley, Spencer Gilbert and Mary Joy Gilbert.
Ray often said that this song lyric, heard on “The Gaither Gospel Hour,” perfectly captured his devotion to Benton: “We’ve been down the road of life together, yes we’ve gone a mile or two, but I couldn’t have made this journey without you.”
In lieu of flowers donations may be made to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Cullman, AL.
