Every morning at 6 a.m., 12-year-old Lance Nelson would get to school every day an hour early, all for one reason: to talk to his coach and teacher, Herman Bueno.
Bueno would frequently call Nelson just to see how he was doing while he was growing up. Even after he graduated from SHS in 2010 and finished college, Bueno would also spontaneously stop by Nelson’s house just to say “Hey.”
“When you have that person that you look up to, and you’re like, ‘I want to be just like that,’ (Bueno) is what I wanted,” Nelson said. “He was the first teacher who I was like, ‘I want to do that’ … and now I’m a teacher. He meant a ton to me, and he taught me a whole load of things that I’m super grateful for that made me the man I am today.”
Whether it be on the cross country course, track or in the classroom, Bueno was a person whom people looked up to, and he will always be remembered.
In June of 2022, Bueno was diagnosed with stage 4 prostate cancer, and at just 67 years old, on August 12, 2025, Bueno was called home to heaven. His diagnosis caused him to face many difficult days, and it was hard for many loved ones to watch.
“It was incredibly devastating,” Bueno’s wife, Paula Bueno, said. “We had many, many, many tears, and (we) knew that this is what our life was going to be. We made the best out of it, and we tried to find the positiveness in everything.”
Bueno and Paula were married for 41 years, and they have devoted their lives to sticking by each other’s side through thick and thin. So when the news of his cancer struck their family, Bueno knew she would always be there for him till the end.
To his daughter, Amy Bueno, he was always dedicated to his family and did everything for them. He was a role model and someone who always had a love and passion for what he was doing.
“He was really the best of a lot of qualities,” Amy said. “He put his whole self into everything he was passionate about, whether it was woodworking, teaching, coaching or the love for his family. He always gave 120%, and I think that would sum him up really nicely.”
One thing Paula and Amy recall that they will miss the most from their husband and dad was his ability to strike up a conversation with anyone and everyone.
Paula says he was very comfortable sharing his life and his experiences with other people, so Bueno was able to talk to any stranger about any topic and carry on as if he had known them.
“The biggest (characteristic) would be his ability to talk to anyone,” Amy said. “We would see people randomly, out and about in public, and we thought my dad just knew everyone, and it turns out he was just a social butterfly. …He could immediately put people at ease and have a conversation with them like they had been best friends for 20 years, even if they had just met him.”
Even though Bueno had been fighting this challenging battle against cancer, he still never shied from being a positive light and a great friend to every person who knew him.
Since the seventh grade, Bueno had always had one friend standing by his side throughout his entire life: Erhard Bell. Both Bueno and Bell graduated from SHS in 1976 and have shared all 55 years of their good and bad moments together.
While it was tough for Bell to see his best friend suffer for three years, Bell knew he would never leave Bueno’s side until the fight had come to an end.
“In life, as you get older, … you realize you really have few true friends who will always stand by you,” Bell said. “And he was probably the best friend I ever had. So that bond goes back for so many years.”
Being a great friend is not the only thing Bueno is known for. He was also widely known for his phenomenal athleticism and perseverance.
From a young age, Bueno has always had a passion for running. Since middle school, he has participated in cross country and track, and in high school, he proved to be a prominent long-distance runner, seeking the thrill of challenges and endurance.
Bueno has set records at SHS that have stood for over 40 years. He has authenticated himself to be a strong and motivated athlete over the years.
Even through college, he was driven by his love for running. He attended Indiana Central University, now known as University of Indianapolis, where he set many of his own records there himself. He was later named the Hoosier Crossroads Conference’s (HCC) Most Valuable Runner in 1980.
“He was always one of the fastest runners (Southport) has ever seen, even one of the fastest runners the state of Indiana has ever seen,” Bell said. “He was known amongst the runners as a very staunch opponent to have to run against, because if you are going to beat Herman Bueno, you better be at your A game because otherwise he’s going to beat you every single time.”
Bueno came back to Southport Middle School in 1993 to be a seventh-grade science teacher. He taught there for almost 30 years and inspired many of his students with his love for learning and teaching. This is also when Bueno was able to transition his love for running into his love for coaching.
Bueno coached Southport Middle School’s cross country and track teams for over 20 years. He grew such a tight-knit family with all of the athletes he coached.
2011 SHS graduate Stephen Gearhart remembers Coach Bueno always being tough with him and his teammates, always wanting more out of them, and being able to push them beyond their limits.
He was never one to settle for less, yet he was known for being very blunt, humble and, Gearhart says, “wonderfully sarcastic.” To his athletes, this is what made him such a great coach.
“Every chance he got, he would hold up three fingers that looked like the letter W, just to let you know you are being weak, you can be a little tougher than that,” Gearhart said. “And he always pushed us, and it was awesome.”
Bueno is valued and respected by all of his athletes and has made a lasting impression on them. He has shaped every one of his athletes into the people they are today.
Bueno was also known for his quotable wisdom, so much so that his athletes decided to make a shirt for Bueno titled “Buenoisms.”
“Bueno was so quotable and memorable that one year, we gathered a list of quotes that he would say, and we called it ‘Buenoisms,’” Nelson said. “We made t-shirts, and surprised him with these t-shirts, and we would wear them to school proudly.”
Not only did Bueno inspire his athletes to be great runners, but he also inspired Nelson to follow in his footsteps to be a middle school teacher at Southport Middle School.
Once Nelson and Bueno became colleagues, at every teacher meeting, Bueno would have a seat saved for Nelson. They would sit together and talk, just like back in the day.
“In my mind, he gave Southport that character that I loved so much,” Nelson said. “I was like, ‘Hey, I want to go work at Southport.’ He sort of gave it that sort of home feeling, that sort of personal touch, where it was like, ‘Man, Southport might be rough, but the teachers are awesome.’ And he was a part of that.”
Whether Bueno was teaching or coaching, he inspired others to be the best versions of themselves, and that’s what made him a great role model to several of his athletes and students.
One of Bueno’s former fellow colleagues from Southport Middle School, Kaleb Robinson, says Bueno played a massive role in his life, and Bueno influenced him to be something he later enjoyed doing.
“Mr. Bueno is the reason I became a coach. He taught me how to be a coach,” Robinson said. “He was a mentor to me when I first started teaching, and I’ve been intertwined with him throughout my life, and (he’s) just a really strong character.”
Brian Kight, former athletic director for Southport Middle School, says that while Bueno is known for being a great athlete, it’s his personality that made him stand out from others.
“When you go to (SHS) and work at that high school, you give your total life to a community,” Kight said. “He will be remembered as one of the greats. I mean that as a great athlete, but even more than that, (he’s) just a great person.”
The impact that Bueno had on Southport and the community is something that will be passed down for many more years to come. He brought on a new generation of strong runners and students, which will not go unnoticed. He had found himself in Southport because without Southport, he wouldn’t carry the legacy he obtained today.
Bueno’s legacy and personality are something that will permanently be a part of Southport’s history forever. While he was a strong runner, inspiring teacher and strong-willed coach, the character he brought to Southport is something that will never be forgotten.
“His legacy will impact Southport for a long time,” Nelson said. “There are still people at Southport, and will be for a really long time, who were impacted by him. Who will then pass that on to other people that were impacted for his passion for running, for his passion for teaching and for his passion for people. It’s going to have ripple effects, not just in Southport, but a ton of places.”
Several people who knew Bueno would say he is and will be someone whom everyone will continue to respect. His personality is something that made him stand out from others, which made him a great husband, father, friend, teacher and coach. This left many lasting impressions on everyone, which will never diminish.
“‘You die twice,'” Gearhart said, quoting a song by Macklemore. “‘Once is when they bury you in the grave, and the second time is the last time someone mentions your name,’ and based on that, (Bueno is) going to be alive for a while. Yes, Bueno has passed, but his memory will be around for a while.”
