Justin John Buckley

On Tuesday, October 8th, my father, Justin Buckley, passed away surrounded by friends and family. To be honest, I've typed and retyped this obituary about a dozen times. I'm not sure how to sum up the life of a man who meant so much to so many. I could talk about his more than four decades' worth of service as a special education teacher and how he poured his heart and soul into his students, their families, and his colleagues - but this would not adequately capture this man. I could discuss the sense of humor of a man who would become the life of a party and have everyone laughing for hours on end - but this is not enough. I could describe his love of books and the fact that he was probably one of the most learned and well-read historians that you could ever meet - but this is still not enough. I could talk about how he was the kind of person that every dog in the neighborhood loved and whose house which they would, quite literally, pull their owners to every day. (Whether or not it was because of the ready supply of dog biscuits is yet to be determined.) I could also mention how much he loved and adored his grandson Connor and how he was easily one of the most generous men you would ever meet in your life. Once you were "family," you would never want for anything.

All of these things together only begin to paint the picture of the man we called "The Buck" or "Poppy". He left this life on his terms, and those of us who knew him would expect nothing else from him. To say he will be missed would be an understatement. To say his life left a deep and lasting impression and his passing a void in this world I think will be more accurate. He will be missed and loved beyond measure.