Janet Evelyn Buck

Janet Evelyn (Whitney) Buck, age 87, passed away on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at the Ruth McLain Hospice House in Braintree, Massachusetts. Born in Boston, Massachusetts on May 25, 1936, she was the daughter of the late Walter B. and Ruth E. (Pineo) Whitney. Janet was raised in Needham, Massachusetts and graduated from Needham High School with the class of 1954. She continued her education at Lasell Junior College in Newton, Massachusetts, graduating with an Associates degree in 1956.

On September 22, 1956, just a few short months after graduation, Janet married the love of her life, H. James "Jim" Buck, at the United Church in her hometown of Needham. The young couple made their married home in nearby Walpole, Massachusetts, where they would raise a family. Jim enjoyed playing hockey in his free time, and Janet would often accompany him to the rink, where he would introduce his wife to his fellow players and their wives. Janet became fast friends with these ladies, meeting every Monday night for their "Club", while the boys played on the ice, catching up on last week’s events and enjoying each other’s company. Even after hockey ended, their friendship continued, regularly meeting on Wednesdays for lunch for many years.

In March of 1971 Janet took a position with MacMillan Bloedel Lumber Co., a Canadian forestry company that had expanded into the United States.  Janet became the credit manager for her area, assessing their customer's potential creditworthiness, reviewing existing customers’ accounts, and protecting the company's assets by making financially sound crediting decisions. After 13 years with MacMillan Bloedel, Janet brought her skills to V.P. Winter Co., a wholesale millwork house, serving as their corporate credit manager until the company was bought out by a British Firm called Rugby.   She was also on the Board of Directors of N.A.C.M.  She retired in 1997 and went to work selling RV’s until Jim retired.

Prior to retirement, Janet and Jim had purchased an RV which allowed them to take many exciting road trips. The pair loved laying out a map and planning their route to their destination, visiting friends and family across the country. Aside from visiting loved ones, many of the road trip destinations that Janet and Jim took were to see car races. They loved to go to the tracks, cheering on their favorite cars and drivers, enjoying the festivities and culture of racing. In her retirement, Janet looked forward to many more hours in the RV, heading south every winter to Leeland Campground in Florida to escape the cold and meet up with friends. At her 50th reunion, Janet remarked on her and Jim’s adventures saying “Since we retired, we have traveled the U.S. in our RV.  We have been in all the States except Nebraska and Alaska.  We are on the road about 6 months of the year.  We winter in Florida or Arizona and Summer in the Midwest.  Our daughter and Son-in-law live in Illinois.  We have one grandchild in Illinois and another grandchild and her husband and our grand baby live in Brooklyn, Iowa.  We also take in a lot of car races in our travels.   OUR LIFE HAS BEEN GOOD!!!”

In her free time, Janet loved to read and knit.  She used her knitting to give back to those in need, making delicate baby hats to comfort the little ones in the hospital as well as sturdy, warm hats for needy school children. Not only could Janet knit, but she taught others the art of the needle as well, patiently teaching her granddaughter how to knit and make baby hats for a community service project she was participating in.

Beloved wife of the late H. James "Jim" Buck

Loving mother of Larry J. Buck of Walpole and Jean M. Mueller, and her husband Brian, of Reynolds, Illinois.

Cherished grandmother of Kurtiss Mueller of Reynolds, Illinois and Jamie Kriegel, and her husband Jared, of Brooklyn, Iowa. Great-grandmother of Grady Kriegel.

Relatives and friends are kindly invited to attend Janet's Life Celebration on Thursday, March 7th, 2024, from 4:00 - 6:00 PM in the James H. Delaney & Son Funeral Home, 48 Common Street, Walpole. A Funeral Home Service will follow at 6:00 PM. Interment will take place on Friday, March 8th, 2024, at Rural Cemetery in Walpole at 11:00 AM.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations in Janet's name may be made to Old Colony Hospice at 321 Manley Street West Bridgewater, MA 02379 or by visiting https://www.oldcolonyhospice.org/donation-overview