Claire Buckey

1953 - 2023

Claire Buckey
August 3, 1953 - June 7, 2023
Sacramento, California - Claire Margaret Buckey, J.D., LL.M., passed away peacefully at her home June 7, 2023 with family and friends at her side.
Claire was born In Sacramento, California, on August 3, 1953, to her parents, Loren E. and Kathleen H. Buckey, at a time when her father was serving in the United States Air Force. From Sacramento, the family moved to successive air bases, including Anderson AFB, Guam, M.I.; Mtn. Home AFB, Idaho; and Dyess AFB, Texas, until such time as her father retired from the Air Force and moved the family to Bend, Oregon, where Claire attended elementary and junior high schools. In August 1967, the Buckey family returned to Sacramento for good. Claire attended Rio Americano High School, graduating in June 1971. She graduated from UC-Davis in 1975 and proceeded on to McGeorge Law School, obtaining her law degree in 1979. Also in 1979, Claire was admitted to the University of Miami's law school masters program. She earned her masters degree in tax law in 1980 and received her license to practice law in Florida that same year. Claire's licenses to practice law in California and Florida remained active up till the time of her death.
Claire's appreciation for the law and practicing ethically as an attorney defined her professional and personal life. As a part of Claire's personal, as well as professional life, she was mindful of giving back to the community, and actively contributed her time to help families and, especially, children navigate successfully through the legal system.
As a part of Claire's service work, she was involved in the development of the Sacramento Children's Fund, acting as its president since its inception in 1998. The Fund was developed to provide financially for children's needs in family law cases. For many years, Claire was a member and served on the board of the Sacramento Collaborative Practice Group, which group provided support for non-adversarial divorce processes. Other organizations and committees to which Claire gave of her time and expertise included the California State Bar Family Law Section; she was a member of and chaired the Sacramento County Bar Executive Committee; volunteered to serve on mediation panels that assisted unrepresented litigants; served as minors' counsel, representing children, as well as assisted in the training of other attorneys to act as minors' counsel. Claire also was called on to serve as a judge pro tempore in Sacramento and surrounding county Courts, which she considered to be an honor each time she was asked to preside.
Claire was predeceased by her beloved daughter, Lauren Cavanagh, earlier this year and by her parents, Loren and Kathleen Buckey, in 2008 and 2014, respectively. Claire is survived by her siblings, Ann Marshall (Jeff), Michele Vinson, Daniel Buckey, David Buckey (Pam) and William Buckey, by numerous nieces, nephews and cousins, and by her maternal aunt, Elizabeth Helfrich, J.D.
A funeral Mass will be said for Claire on July 21, 2023, at 2:00 p.m., at Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church located at 5057 Cottage Way, Carmichael, CA, with a reception to follow, celebrating Claire's life, at Arden Hills Club, 1220 Arden Hills Lane, Sacramento, CA.
In lieu of flowers, the Buckey Family would request that you consider making a donation in Claire's and Lauren's names to Our Lady of The Assumption Catholic School for the purpose of providing tuition assistance to an in-need child.