Mimi McCartney

1940 - 2016

Mimi McCartney, also known as Mimi Buckstead and Mimi Burns, peacefully passed away Sunday December 4, 2016, after a hard-fought battle with cancer, secure in the love of her only child Nicole (Nikki) Buckstead and her devoted friends. Mimi was born in San Francisco on March 14, 1940, to Mary and George Burns, and raised in Oakland with her younger brother Jack. Many of Mimi's aunts, uncles and cousins lived nearby in the Oakland Hills, creating a large community for Mimi and her brother to play and grow with. She went to Holy Names High School in Oakland, graduating in 1957, and remained steadfast friends for the rest of her life with many of the women she met there. Mimi joined the Flying Tigers shortly after high school, beginning the life of adventure she craved. The Flying Tigers had both cargo and troop transport flights, which she remembered fondly. She married John Buckstead in Sioux Falls South Dakota in 1964. They moved to the Kansas City area in 1965, where their daughter Nikki was born in 1970. In the mid-1970's, Mimi began working for Frontier Airlines, moving to Denver with Nikki. In 1979, they moved to Sacramento. She graduated from the University of San Francisco in 1985, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Organizational Behavior. After leaving Frontier, she worked in several local Sacramento businesses, most notably Campbell's Soup. While working for Campbell's, she lived overseas in King's Lynn, England, and Petaling Jaya, Malaysia. Mimi retired from Campbell's in 2000. In the early 1990's, she married David McCartney, and moved briefly to Placerville. After they divorced she returned to Sacramento, where she happily remained until she passed away. Mimi loved to travel, embracing new experiences, and enjoyed sharing many of those experiences with her daughter. She traveled to over 50 countries, exploring the world and its people. She was an archivist of her travels, as the many detailed photo albums she compiled attest to. Mimi was passionate about politics, and was a staunch Democrat. She enjoyed books and left a large and varied library as a testament to her eclectic tastes. She embraced all forms of the arts, including movies, music, and theater, and was a great raconteur. She was a devoted mother and friend, and will be missed by many. Mimi is survived by her daughter Nikki, of Huntington Beach CA. Per her wishes, Mimi's remains will be scattered in the San Francisco Bay in a private ceremony, as was her wish. Memorials may be made to the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/ or to Planned Parenthood https://www.plannedparenthood.org/, two organizations she felt strongly about.