William Buckley

William John Buckley Passed away peacefully at his home in Spokane, WA on October 21, 2010, surrounded by family and friends. A man who worked hard and played hard, Bill was born in San Francisco on September 29, 1940, the son of Margaret Reid and William Francis Buckley. He grew up in the Richmond and Sunset Districts, graduating from Abraham Lincoln High School in 1958. He was preceded in death by his wife, Loyola Antoinette (Toni) Montano in 1996, and is survived by his beloved children, Margaret Buckley and her husband Karl Brown; Laura Buckley-Christian and her husband John Christian; and son Bill Buckley and his wife Fiona Ruane-Buckley. He also leaves grandchildren Katherine Christian, Liam Christian, Nell Buckley, Billy Buckley, and T.J. Buckley; and his brother, Jim Buckley. He will be sorely missed by family, friends, neighbors and numerous professional colleagues. Serving in the Air Force from 1958 to 1963, he returned home with wife Toni and two, soon to be three, children. Over the next nine years, he raised his family, worked full time and studied at night until he earned his electrical engineering degree from San Jose State. Two years later, he earned his MBA in Marketing at the University of Santa Clara. During this entire period, he took pains to enjoy his family, traveling with them during school breaks, taking them skiing, or just having fun playing games at home. Education was of fundamental importance to Bill and he supported his wife and three children until everyone in the family was a college graduate. Bill had a long and distinguished career in telecommunications. As a senior technician while going to school, he was the union shop steward. After moving into management positions, Bill had the personality and integrity to relate well to people in all levels of the organization. During his 12 years working for GTE engaged in design, system implementation, engineering, and quality assurance, Bill was involved with the start-up of two manufacturing facilities, and was a founder of the XEL Corporation in Aurora, Colorado. Bill's professional career also included Vice President of Technology Development, Verilink; Senior Member of Technical Staff, Southwestern Bell - TRI; and Director of Technical Standards, ITRON. He chaired the National Standards Committee that wrote the standards for the T1 customer premise interface. Respected in the industry, there have been many articles written about Mr. Buckley and his accomplishments. He was frequently published and served on a number of national standards committees and was in great demand as a speaker and presenter at national conferences. Aside from his notable career, Bill had several interests, including: San Francisco history, his large collection of Lionel model trains, old time radio programs, boating, playing with his grandchildren, and keeping in touch with friends old and new. A member of the American Legion, Bill was actively involved in community service, generously donating his time and money. Bill and his dog, Fred, competed in the "Doggie Olympics," with Fred winning many medals. A gathering of friends and family will be at Houlihan's Bar in the Holiday Inn in South San Francisco, 275 South Airport Blvd. on Friday, October 29 beginning at 7:00 p.m. A funeral service will take place on Saturday, October 30, 2010 at 1:00 p.m. at the Newall Chapel at Cypress Lawn, 1370 El Camino Real, Colma, CA 94014. Bill will be interred with his wife, Toni, immediately after the service. A reception will follow at Val's Italian Restaurant, 2468 Junipero Serra Blvd in Daly City (tel. 650-757-6354). The family requests charitable donations in lieu of flowers. Bill's favorite causes are: American Pain Foundation (painfoundation.org) Ehlers Danlos National Foundation (EDNF.org) Coole Music (coole-music.com) Girls on the Run (gltrbayarea.org) Spokane County Regional Protection Services (spokanecounty.org/SCRAPS) or your local animal rescue organization Abraham Lincoln HS Alumni Association