Reva Dorsilene Buckman

REVA DORSILENE BUCKMAN Reva Dorsilene Buckman passed away on September 3, 2023, at age 92 in Lubbock, TX, from complications of Parkinson's disease. She was born March 8, 1931, near Meadville, MO, the fourth and youngest child of Philip Edward Palmer and Abi Curtis Palmer. Dorsilene was preceded in death by her parents, sister Lucille Ratliff (Earl), brother Raymond Curtis, and many aunts and uncles. She is survived by her brother Donald (Jean), nephews Dennis Palmer (Vicky), Randy Palmer (Sue), and Mark Palmer (Windie), nieces Karen Hegi (Don) and Vicki Ratliff, many great nieces and nephews, cousins/second cousins Clara Donoho, Paul Chapman, John Turner (Linda), and others. She attended Duncan School, down the road from the farm she grew up on, and graduated from Meadville High School, class of 1949. Dorsilene then worked for the Chillicothe Industrial Home for Girls, simultaneously completing cosmetology training and licensure. She worked for a brief time in that field. A long career with Churchill Trucking Company followed. She retired as head cashier in 1994. In 2000, Dorsilene moved to Memphis, TN, to be closer to Donald and Jean. While there, she was active in the benevolence, outreach, finance, and other ministries of Colonial Baptist Church. With the onset of Parkinson's in 2019, she moved to Lubbock, TX, where her niece Karen Hegi saw to her care. Though Dorsilene had no biological children, she adopted her nieces, nephews, and their children, and many children of cousins, co-workers, friends, and neighbors as her own. She was a generous, encouraging, lifelong presence in their lives. She played on the floor with trucks and Beanie Babies; put together hay rides, park picnics, birthday parties, and overnights in her home; attended special events; provided college tuition; shared her impeccable fashion sense; gave big candy bars at Halloween and Hallmark Christmas ornaments annually. The latter now grace the adult homes of many of these children. Giant cans of gourmet popcorn shared with her adult nephews and nieces at Christmas were a perennial favorite. Dorsilene scheduled professional family photo sessions, stayed connected with her high school graduating class, coordinated a family/community celebration of her Mother's 100th birthday, and was an organizer and first president of the Duncan-Palmer Reunion, which is still meeting. A fabulous cook, she shared scrumptious meals and gracious hospitality, whatever the occasion. She gave sustained support through serious illness and loved sharing her quilting, knitting, and other skills. Time with the Rinehart family in Chillicothe and weekends with Bill and Clara and their daughters in the Ozarks were a highlight for them and her. She took many Colonial Baptist seniors' group bus trips to venues around the U.S. with Donald and Jean. She was a mainstay in the lives of her older brother, Raymond, and sister Lucille. She had a ready sense of humor and was just a lot of fun! Dorsilene dealt with Parkinson's brutal toll with grace and courage. She was grateful for, and her family expresses their gratitude to, the staff at The Plaza in Lubbock, TX, for their faithful care during the last four years of her life. She donated her body to medical science through the Genesis Legacy program. Genesis notified her family of a dozen different ways the gift of her body has advanced surgical training - literally internationally - and procedures and materials for several orthopedic conditions, cardiac catheterization and stent placement, and chronic pain management. Inurnment will be in Botts Cemetery, Meadville, MO. A giver from start to finish, Dorsilene was dearly loved and is sorely missed.