Buford Pusser – Biography, Wife and Children, Death and Funeral

Possibly one of the toughest jobs there is. Thinking about doing it will fall on the responsibility of standing aside, scolding and inciting the wicked in society to face the law. It is a risky job as his life is constantly in danger, whether in the field or at home with his family. Only the bravest men assume this noble responsibility and often pay enormous sacrifices for their chosen career. Buford Pusser is a man who fits perfectly into this class of men. Read more…

Buford Pusser – Biography

Buford Pusser was an American sheriff born on December 12, 1937 to Helen and Carl Pusser in Finger, McNairy County, Tennessee. He grew up to be a tall and handsome young man with a good figure which influenced his choice to play high school basketball and football.

After high school, he enlisted in the US MarineCorps as he hoped to pass recruit training and serve as a Marine Corp. However, it was discovered that Buford suffered from asthma, which made him medically unable to endure the rigors of the job. Pusser then opted to pursue wrestling as a career. He began wrestling in Chicago in 1957 under the alias “Buford The Bull”. He struggled for a while before returning to Tennessee in 1962.

Upon his return, he joined the police (taking after his father, who was police chief of Adamsville, Tennessee, and served as police chief and constable until 1964. Pusser was elected Sheriff of McNairy County, Tennessee when serving Sheriff James Dickey died in a car accident. who were both involved in crimes ranging from lunar abandonment, gambling, prostitution, human, drug and arms trafficking, as well as several other vices. this duty that Pusser emerged the hero we remember him from today.

As he put the wicked out of their illegal undertakings, they in retaliation made several assassination attempts against him which he continued to survive. Buford Pusser attacked the villains, but they continued to fail to put him away. His family has become an easy target to get at. An assassination ambush on him claimed the life of his wife Pauline Pusser on August 12, 1967.

He was on his way to respond to a distress call from New Hope Road in McNairy County, with his wife in the car with him. As they passed New Hope Methodist Church, a car pulled up next to theirs and the occupier opened fire on the unsuspecting Pusser and his wife. Both were injured in the assault, but his wife died while Buford survived. Despite his best efforts to get the crime suspects/perpetrators to register with proof of guilt, no one was actually convicted of the murder.

wife and children

Buford Hayse Pusser met his wife, Pauline Mullins when he was a local wrestler in Chicago. They were married on December 5, 1969, and during their marriage became the parents of Dwana Pusser, who was born on January 9, 1961 in Chicago.

Sadly, Dwana is no more, but while she lived she did everything in her power to keep her father’s legacy alive and maintain her image as a crime-hunting sheriff. Dwana was reportedly found dead in her bedroom on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Prior to her death, she would have had to deal with many personal issues. However, no autopsy was performed after the discovery of his body.

Death and funeral of Buford Pusser

For someone who survived multiple assassination attempts, it seemed at the time that Buford Pusser was indestructible. However, death came when no one expected it. The sheriff died on August 12, 1974 after being injured in a car accident.

Earlier that day, he had finished a meeting with Bing Crosby to talk about his role in his biopic sequel. Walking with his head held high and as he was driving home he hit an embankment which caused him to lose control of his car as he was driving at full speed. Buford was thrown from the car and suffered multiple injuries from the crash, which resulted in his death, as his car was in flames.

When his mother – Helen and daughter Dwana arrived at the scene, they were of the opinion that Bufford Pusser had been murdered and the locals also called it a sabotage. Furthermore, no autopsy was performed. Bufford’s funeral was held at Christ Church in Adamsville.

After his death, his house was turned into a museum called the Buford Pusser House and Museum. It contains the original furniture used by Buford and his family at home, photos, guns, cars, and Pusser memorabilia.

Likewise, the biopic Walking Tall which tells about his life and sad death, was released in 1973. Although the film contained fiction to tell the story of the deceased sheriff, it proved to be a success. A remake of the film starring Dwayne Johnson as Chris Vaughn was released in 2004, three years later Walking Tall: The Payback (2007) was released with lead character Kevin Sorbo as Nick Prescott. Kevin also starred in the sequel titled Walking Tall: Lone Justice (2007).