EAST BERNE — Lance Buchardt was an outgoing person with many friends, said his son, Damon Buchardt. “When I was a kid, my dad would take us to the Altamont Fair. He knew so many people that we’d go 10 feet and stop and talk to someone, and then go another 10 feet and see someone else. You couldn’t get anywhere!” his son recalled.

Mr. Buchardt died on Tuesday, Sept. 20, 2016, in Brooksville, Florida, surrounded by family. He was 72.

He was born in Catskill, New York on April 14, 1944, the son of the late Edward A. Buchardt and Marion C. (née Olthouse) Buchardt. He was raised on Brookhaven Drive in East Berne, along with his three brothers. He graduated in 1963 from Berne-Knox-Westerlo High School.

Mr. Buchardt served in the Army National Guard and then became a survey engineer in the heavy and highway construction business. He was a member of the Operating Engineers Union Local 545. The many projects that he worked on included the South Mall in Albany and many highways and bridges in the Capital District. His family wrote in a tribute that Mr. Buchardt was a “well-known and respected surveyor” for the Tri-Point Layout survey company.

His son Damon Buchardt said, “If you live in the Capital District, you’ve been in a building or driven on a road that my father helped build. It’s pretty unavoidable. He worked on just about everything in the area.”

After Mr. Buchardt moved to North Carolina for the warmer weather, he worked on the layout for the new Philip Morris factory near Winston-Salem, his son said.

Following his 25-year career as a surveyor, Mr. Buchardt went to work for himself as an insurance inspector of residential and commercial properties, until health issues forced him to retire.

Lance Buchardt was very proud of the community where he had grown up, said his son. He built his own home next door to his parents and brother on Brookhaven Drive. He was a member of the East Berne Fire Department. Following his move to North Carolina, he continued his subscription to The Altamont Enterprise, in order to stay connected to the Hilltowns.

“I could call down South to find out what was going on around me. That’s how faithfully he read The Enterprise. He knew more than I did, and I live here,” said Damon Buchardt.

Lance Buchardt was a member of the Trinity Moravian Church in Winston Salem, where he became a Stephen minister, or a lay member of the church who provides one-on-one support and encouragement to another member of the congregation who is facing difficulties.

In 2003, Mr. Buchardt retired to Collinsville, Virginia and was able to devote more of his spare time to his lifelong hobby of restoring old cars. He was a member of the Oldsmobile Club of America. His last project was an Oldsmobile Holiday 88. “He could often be found in the garage,” said Damon Buchardt. “That’s where he hung out.”

Mr. Buchardt also loved his pets. He had a dog or cat throughout his adult life, his son said. One dog in particular, a Jack Russell terrier named Chester, was “like a fourth son,” Damon Buchardt said. He was also very fond of his last pets, a cat, Zelda, and a dog, Joe.

Mr. Buchardt was always fascinated by the latest technology, his son said, and made a point of staying on top of innovations. “He was on the Internet before I even knew what it was. He always had the latest and greatest smartphone,” his son said.

He enjoyed computers and genealogy and spent a lot of time researching his family’s history on his computer.

Recently Lance Buchardt made a final move to Brooksville, Florida, where he found an abundance of warm weather. It was there that he died, following a long illness.

“He will be missed,” his family wrote.

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Lance Buchardt is survived by his wife of 17 years Catherine (née Davis) Buchardt of Brooksville, Florida, and by his three sons, Adam Buchardt and his wife, Christie, of Charleston, South Carolina; Brandon Buchardt and his wife, Gina, also of Charleston, South Carolina; and Damon Buchardt and his wife, Tessa, of Berne.

He is also survived by the mother of his sons, Kathryn Lelia Allen of Charleston, South Carolina, and by his three grandsons, Ryan, Bradyn, and Ethan.

Also surviving him are his brothers, Peter Buchardt and his wife, Barbara, of Englewood, Florida; and Greg Buchardt and his wife, Dunia, of Lakeland, Florida, as well as a sister-in-law, Betsy (née Drahzal) Buchardt of East Berne.

He is survived, too, by seven nieces and nephews and their children.

Mr. Buchardt’s parents, Edward A. Buchardt and Marion C. (née Olthouse) Buchardt, died before him, as did his brother Brent Buchardt, who died on Oct. 3, 2010.

The family would like to express its thanks to other family members who have reached out during this time.

Private services will be held at the family’s convenience.

Memorial contributions may be made to the American Cancer Society, 1 Penny Ln., Latham, New York 12110.

—Elizabeth Floyd Mair