Arthur Archie Buckley

ARTHUR ARCHIE BUCKLEY August 15, 1917 - June 18, 2007 Beloved family patriarch, passed away June 18, 2007 at Canyonwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Redding, California, just two months shy of his 90th birthday. He was born at the Alameda Sanitorium on August, 15, 1917. He was raised at 1041 Regent Street. He attended Porter Elementary School for kindergarten through eighth grades. He graduated a triple-block athlete from Alameda High School in 1936. Archie matriculated to Chico State University where he continued his amateur athletic career while he studied to be a teacher. A plaque commemorating his track and field records is still on display at that university. He graduated with his batchelor's degree in Education in 1941. Mr. Buckley had just begun his teaching career in Willows, when he met the love of his life, his future wife of 65 years, Rhea Littlefield of Marysville, California. They were married on January 10th, 1942 in Carson City, Nevada. As soon as the school year was finished, Archie enlisted in the U.S. Army. He quickly became a medical administrative officer. For most of WWII he was stationed at McCloskey General Hospital inTemple, Texas where he served as the Chief of Physical Reconditioning at the Army's largest hospital specializing in amputation and neurosurgery. It was here that he became a pioneer in the new field of physical therapy. I believe that he was the first to have Detroit engineers alter automobiles for use by amputee veterans. After the war, Captain Buckley was offered a position with the Veteran's Administration in Oakland where he continued his mission to help veterans overcome limitations and live up to their new potentials. His work was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, July 18, 1959. He was an officer of the National Rehabilitation Association, the Association for Physical and Mental Rehabilitation, and the Association of Medical Rehabilitation Directors and Coordinators. He was a member of the U.S. Board of Civil Service Examiners for physical therapists. His career ended early after being stricken first with polio, and then with a bone tumor in his pelvis. He retired in 1969 from the VA Hospital in Martinez. His avocations in life all involved being outdoors. He loved playing and watching amateur athletics. He hunted game birds, and fished California's waterways his entire life. Archie loved being surrounded by nature, whether it was his ample garden, Yosemite, the San Leandro Marina, or some other wilderness area in North America. These passions continue to leave their impact on his many descendents with connections to the Forest Service, amateur and professional athletics, love of amimals, and an appreciation of the natural world. Living a long and full life often means laying to rest many of your family and friends, and Archie was preceded in death by his three brothers Leo, Delmas, and James Buckley, his two sisters Loretta Lyons, and Rose Cummings. He is survived by his wife of 65 years Rhea Buckley, a resident of San Leandro since 1948; daughter Diane Hudson, son-in-law Jack Hudson of Dublin; son Bill Buckley, daughter-in-law Celeste Buckley of Redding; daughter Sharon Winton, son-in-law Butch Winton of Shasta; grandson Cole Hudson and wife Tamora, great-grandchildren Marlena, Karissa, and Chase all of Stockton; granddaughter Whitney McNair and husband Todd, great-grandchildren Parker and Riley of Cupertino; grandson Brandon Buckley and wife Christine, great-grandchildren Charlie and Maggie of Pleasanton; granddaughter Holly Luke of Sterling City; granddaughter Heather Buckley of San Ramon; niece Yvonne Pontes of Castro Valley; nephews Jimmy Lyons of Alameda, Michael Lyons of Pleasanton, Robert and Richard Buckley both of Livermore. Family and friends are invited to attend the funeral service held at Chapel of the Chimes, 32992 Mission Blvd., Hayward, CA 510-471-3363