IN MEMORIAM

Memorial Service Saturday For

Mona Buckley 82, Cooperstown

COOPERSTOWN – A memorial service for Mona Buckley, 82, of Cooperstown, is planned at 1 p.m. Saturday, June 3, at the Old Stone Community Church in Schuyler Lake, where she and her late husband, Bruce Buckley, established the St. Albans Anglican parish in the 1990s.

Mrs. Buckley passed away on Christmas Eve in McLean, Va., where she had been living with her daughter, Valerie Pineo, for the past year. A Cooperstown resident since 1964, she will be laid to rest at Hartwick Seminary Cemetery on June 3.

The service will be conducted at the Schuyler Lake church by the Rev. Dwight Dibble, who is pastor of the St. Alban Parish, (currently located in Edmeston.)

One of six siblings, Mona was born in Seymour, Ind., on Feb. 20, 1934, to Merle and Essie Graham. While a staff member at Indiana University Bloomington, she met and eventually married the late Dr. Bruce R. Buckley.

The couple moved to Cooperstown, where Bruce helped found the Cooperstown Graduate Program in Museum Studies. It was a formative time for the family, where a new community, colleagues and friends helped shape their life´s path for decades to come. A very people-oriented person, Mona was integrally involved in the graduate program, where she made many close friends over the years.

Mona cared for those in need or otherwise less fortunate, contributing to causes throughout her life. While caring for her family, she also looked after elderly and others in the community. She was known by family and friends as an exceptional cook, mastering many styles and techniques. She enjoyed treating guests to fantastic meals, satisfying family, friends, colleagues and the occasional unexpected visitor.

During her more than five decades in Cooperstown, she was very active in the community. Mona worked at the Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce for two decades, served on the Board of Elections and was involved in several charitable organizations. She was also a member of the P.E.O. Sisterhood, an organization focused primarily on providing educational opportunities for women.

In addition to her daughter Valerie Pineo, she is survived by two sons, Michael Buckley and Bruce Buckley; six grandchildren, Lonnie Zoeller, Alex Zoeller, Brett Zoeller, Christian Zoeller, Isabella Pineo and Nicole Buckley; three great grandchildren, Sophia Zoeller, Aaliyah Zoeller and Wesley Zoeller; and her companion, Constantine Doucas.