When Price William Buntyn died, he wished for all who knew him to hold close the good times and cherished memories shared together — a reflection of the warmth and joy he brought to everyone around him. Through Sunday more than 1,000 of those cherished memories in the form of a massive military memorabilia collection acquired by him and his wife, Grace, are available to the highest bidder. But not without controversy.

Buntyn, known as Bill to everyone but the government, was a proud veteran with a life defined by service, devotion, and a love for the outdoors. At the age of 17, he signed up to serve his country, enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. He served with distinction as a lance corporal from 1956 through 1959. He always wanted to be a Marine, Grace said.

“He absolutely thought the Marines were the best looking, most dignified people he had ever seen, and he just always said, as he was growing up, ‘when I get old enough, I want to be a Marine,’” she said.

His military service added to the passion Bill already had for history. At a young age he began saving military memorabilia wherever he went. His private collection of military-related relics is one of the most complete in the region. He collected everything, including a large collection of special firearms and uniforms of many of the militaries involved in the World Wars and Asia.

He also collected flags and other important items from many of the countries, including some flags and materials censored in the online auction site because they may trigger emotions from some who would rather simply bury the memories of Nazi Germany.

Regardless of the pain it still brings and the hate it represents, Buntyn refused to let lessons from the past be forgotten.

“It’s important to remember our history,” Buntyn was reported to have said prior to his death. “All of it — good and bad.”

Grace was adamant that his collection wouldn’t have been complete without items from our enemies.

“He had very strong feelings that younger people need to know the history; good, bad and ugly. That’s history,” she said.

Bill often took his collection to area schools for lessons. He wasn’t a teacher, but he was an educator, Grace said.

After moving to Cody in 2006 due to his love for the great outdoors, Buntyn gave generously of his time, his spirit and himself, according to his family, and left behind a legacy as “rich and enduring as the mountains he so dearly loved,” his obituary read.

Buntyn never stopped serving until a cancer diagnosis forced him to slow down. He served as commander of the Cody VFW and as commander of the honor guard from 2013 through 2016. He was a proud and dedicated member of the Scottish Rite, and a devoted Mason and Shriner. He passed on March 12 at the age of 86.

Even if you didn’t know Bill, taking the time to scroll through the many hundreds of items he collected can give a view of his dedication to preserving history. The auction is being held by new Powell auctioneers, WYO Auction Company.

Owner of the company Kerry Pae, who also owns the Cody Mercantile Pawn Shop, had so much inventory coming into the shop — partially due to folks selling treasured items to help survive the current economy — he needed to find another way to sell. After failing to find someone local or in Billings to buy his excess, he knew what he had to do. With 53 years of experience as an auctioneer, the answer was obvious.

He enters a busy market. While a couple big auctioneers recently retired in Cody, there are now three large auction companies in Powell, including Swenson’s Auctions and the Musser Bros.

The competition for estates and collections will be tough, but Pae said they fit in well among the other businesses. He also said there may be some “bad blood” after he hired Zack Oliver as his general manager, a former relative and employee of his closest competition. He almost turned down the position to save from hurting feelings, but “this is what I do,” he said.

“I was removed from it for about three and a half years, but this is right up my alley. I’m a big history geek, and I’m partially OCD,” Oliver said.

Connor Pae is the assistant manager and the company runs about a dozen employees on the days following the auction to handle those who wish to pick up their purchases the day after the action ends.

Having a case of obsessive-compulsive disorder is perfect for managing thousands of sale items, Oliver said. Born and raised in Cody, he was a professional bull rider before working auctions. It was a tough job, but so is wrangling hundreds of packages for shipment, he said.

This collection was referred to Pae’s company and it is drawing international attention.

“We’re getting inquiries from Germany and other foreign countries, you know, It is a worldwide audience,” Kerry Pae said.

The auction has more than 1,600 items. There are 10 consigners joining in with the Buntyn collection, putting some exciting items on the auction block. There are many examples of beautiful taxidermy, including a full-body mount of an African lion.

There are dozens of guns. A collection of amazing lever-action rifles — many with ties to the region — and a first year issued 1911 Colt handgun with a three-digit serial number are already commanding attention.

The Colt price is already up to $1,700 with about four days left before the auction ends. A Winchester .22 caliber Annie Oakley commemorative lever-action rifle is already at $1,400.

There’s also a 6-foot high sculpture of a turkey buzzard, Civil War sabres and flags representing U.S. allies and enemies throughout America’s history. The auction items can be seen locally at the final preview at the WYO Auctions headquarters at 515 N. Ingalls this coming Sunday from noon-3 p.m. However, dozens of the items for sale in the online auction have been censored by the online portal, HiBid.com.

“Censorship has become a bit of a problem,” Kerry Pae said. “It’s unfortunate that people feel this way, and try to erase history. Not all history is good.”

It was shocking for the many who attended the first preview to find Nazi flags and other memorabilia among other sale items. However, for online customers there are “Trigger Warning” posts and photos of the actual items prominently using swastikas can only be seen on the WYO Auction website.

In the context of Buntyn’s collection, items eliciting harsh criticism seem harmless.

Some may wonder why the Buntyn collection wasn’t donated to a museum or other institutions. A bad experience with a donation soured the couple on making donations to museums, Grace said.

Quite a few years back the couple owned two ace pilot uniforms. They were in excellent condition and complete. An unnamed museum wanted them and often called Bill asking him to donate the uniforms.

Then, a few years later, they were at a military auction, and the two uniforms were on the chopping block.

It hurt the couples’ feelings, so they called to speak with the museum’s employee. They complained, but the representative told them, “Oh, too bad,” Grace said of the attitude toward their complaint. “’Once you donate them, they’re ours, and we needed money,’ she said Bill was told.”

Grace would have kept the collection, but after losing Bill she moved to Indiana to be near family and she couldn’t take most of it with her. Family members took what they wanted, but they still had a huge military collection, putting 1,070 items up for sale.

“I still have lots of it, and always will,” she said, wanting to hold on to the best memories for the rest of her days.

To participate: hibid.com/catalog/755835/wyo-auction-company-patriotic-war-memorabilia-online-auction