Martha Buckles

1926 - 2020

Martha Buckles was truly a daughter of the great American West. Born in the Rocky Mountains in 1926, she was raised and endured the hardships of homesteading during the Great Depression and challenges of the many wars that were fought during her long lifetime. Her beauty was unrivaled, as fresh and natural as a Colorado Columbine, while her spirit was as mighty as the mountains themselves.

She held fiercely to the family she loved and could bite like a Colorado 'rattler' to defend them. Yes, in beauty and strength she was disarming, and all were charmed by her.

Martha was born in Carbondale, Colorado to Perry and Irene Coryell. Their long close family history included many ranchers and farmers that never left the area. Martha did, she was the first when she attended the Colorado Women's College in Denver Colorado at the age of 18. She returned to Glenwood Springs to remain close to her family after acquiring an Associates Degree.

In the days of the manned telephone switchboards, Martha got a call from an operator announcing a call from a very shy, handsome, and freshly returned soldier of World War II and son of her employer, Gerald Buckles. He'd lost his nerves so many times, hanging up after asking the operator to connect him, that the operator took matters into her own hands and connected the two. They never parted.

She and Gerald raised two handsome and loving sons. They first lived in Glenwood Springs and then moved to Boulder so Gerald could use his education to advance a career in engineering. She was hired as the secretary of a middle school principal so she could remain close to her boys' education and retired there 20 years later.

After retirement she and Gerald followed her boys, who had long since left Colorado to raise their own families and advance their own careers. First to Washington state to be close to her youngest son, Steve, and his family, then to Texas to be close to her eldest son, Bruce, and his family.

Sadly, she lost her beloved husband, Gerald, in 2005 and her son, Bruce in 2015. She laid them to rest at the Houston Memorial Cemetery where she will rest as well. Martha passed away August 29th, 2020.

She is survived by her son, Steve, and her daughter-in-law, Jill. She is also survived by her many grandchildren, Jessica, Nathan, Lara, Katie, Barbie, Martha, Theresa, Gregory, Heather, and Coleen. She is also survived by many more great grandchildren as well. She is so loved and will be greatly missed and we all pray that her legacy of beauty, strength, and grace will endure.