John Philip Buckner

John Philip Buckner, 80, loving husband, father, grandfather and friend, passed away on Monday, November 25, 2024. He was born at St. Joseph's Hospital in Houston, Texas on December 1, 1943 to Joseph and Lucy Buckner. He was named in honor of John Philip Sousa, the renowned American composer and conductor. John and his sisters were raised in New Waverly, Texas on the family farm by their Aunt Bea Venarske, the loving matriarch of the family.
In his youth, John was very active at St. Joseph's Catholic Church in New Waverly. He attended St. Edward's High School in Austin, Texas where he played football and met many lifelong friends. During his time at St. Ed's, he met his future wife, Kathryn Noack. John spent his summer breaks working for the Texas Highway Department to build and maintain rest stops throughout East Texas. It was through this work, coupled with his love of Popular Mechanics magazines, that he became interested and pursued multiple degrees in engineering. John graduated with a BS in Civil Engineering and a MS in Environmental Health Engineering from The University of Texas at Austin. John and Kathryn were married on September 16, 1967 in Austin, Texas.
Following graduation from UT, John worked in the public sector in Austin for two years before moving his young family to Corpus Christi in 1971 to become the Environmental Engineer/Planner for The Coastal Bend Council of Governments, an organization of local governmental entities in 12 South Texas counties and 36 cities to collaborate on economic development, tourism, water resources, environmental protection, crime control and public health and welfare. In 1977, he was appointed Executive Director of the CBCOG, a position in which he served honorably until his retirement in June 2023. He was instrumental in implementing the 9-1-1 Program for the Coastal Bend.
John dearly loved his family and friends, Texas Longhorns football, cooking, traveling and gardening, and was a very active member of St. Pius X Catholic Church in Corpus Christi. John was named one of the first Eucharistic Ministers of Most Precious Blood Catholic Church in Corpus Christi.
John was a Licensed Texas Professional Engineer and a life member in The American Society of Civil Engineers and The National Society of Professional Engineers. During his career, he was awarded Engineer of the Year for Nueces County, Texas. In July of last year, John was presented The Lone Star Flag that was flown at the Capitol of the Sovereign State of Texas on July 1st, 2023 from the Coastal Bend Council of Governments and The Texas House of Representatives in honor of his retirement after 52 years of service to the Coastal Bend Region and the State of Texas.
John was preceded in death by his mother and father, Lucy Buckner and Joseph Buckner, his sister Elizabeth Buckner and daughter Sara Buckner.
John is survived by Kathryn Noack Buckner, his wife of 57 years and daughters Anne Buckner (Gordon) Heaney of Cypress, Texas and Karen Buckner (Richard) Kottke of Houston, Texas. He is also survived by six granddaughters, Kathryn Heaney, Charlotte Heaney, Madison Heaney, Lucille Kottke, Evelyn Kottke and Abigail Kottke; his sister, Barbara Buckner Short and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. Papa, we love you very much and you will be greatly missed.
Visitation will be held at St. Pius X Catholic Church in Corpus Christi on December 7, 2024 at 10:30 a.m., followed by the Rosary at 11:30 a.m., the Mass at 12:00 p.m. and the Burial at 1:00 p.m. at Seaside Memorial Park.