Vincentas Buožis came from Račiai village in Žemalė parish. In old church records the family surname is written as Božis. Vincentas's parents were Jonas Božis and Barbora Žilakauskaitė. The Buožis family's connection with Račiai village goes back at least to the end of the 19th century: Vincentas's father Jonas also lived there, and his parents were Antanas Božis and Agota Dergintytė.

Vincentas was a farmer. On 22 February 1927, at Žemalė Church, he married Petronėlė Žalytė, daughter of Antanas Žalis and Marcijona Keinytė.

During the Second World War, Vincentas and his wife Petronėlė Buožienė sheltered Ela Geimanaitė, later Šapirienė, who was hiding from Nazi persecution.

Ela came from Nevarėnai. Before the war her parents were raising six children. After the occupation began, the family was driven to the Viešvėnai camp. Her father and brothers were murdered, while Ela, her sister Dora and their mother were taken to the Geruliai camp. Their mother was later murdered as well.

Ela and Dora managed to escape. Their survival depended on an entire chain of local people who helped them: the girls hid with the Žutautas family and later with the Buknius family. When remaining there became too dangerous, Stanislava Buknienė asked her relative Petronėlė Buožienė to help Ela. The Buožis family took her in.

In the Buožis home Ela did not have to remain in a permanent hiding place. Because she was fair-haired and spoke Lithuanian well, she could be introduced as a distant relative and live together with the family.

In Ela's recollections, especially many personal details concern Vincentas's wife Petronėlė. Ela remembered her as an exceptionally warm woman who cared for the motherless girl and tried to give her the better portions of food.

In time, rumours spread that the Buožis family was hiding a Jewish girl, and Ela had to be moved urgently. Petronėlė took her to her sister Ona Gelžinienė. Ona and Jonas Gelžinis sheltered the girl until the end of the war.