Ann R. (Hunter) Buckley, 94, passed away on April 10, 2013 at Elmhurst Extended Care, Providence after an illness. She was the wife of the late Richard I. Buckley, Sr.
She was the daughter of the late Thomas F. and Jane (Campbell) Hunter and the stepdaughter of the late Mary (Neil) Hunter. Ann was born in Paisley, Scotland on December 5, 1918 and came to the United States at an early age. Her family settled in Central Falls and then in Pawtucket. In 1959, she and her family moved to Brownehill Court in Lincoln where she resided for 45 years before moving to West Bay Manor, Warwick in 2004. She was actively involved in several Pawtucket Schools PTA’s and the Lincoln PTA, Girl Scouts, and other civic endeavors, including the Pawtucket Citizens League and the League of Women Voters. In 1954, she ran as an independent candidate for the Pawtucket School Committee and was elected to a 6-year term. She was a children’s storyteller at many libraries throughout the state. Ann was a Teacher’s Aide in the Lincoln School System for many years, retiring in 1983. She was involved in the Lincoln Council on the Arts and served as President of the Rhode Island Council on the Arts. Ann was a longtime member of the Blackstone Valley Historical Society and was very involved in the Society until a few years ago. She served on many committees in the Society and served as Vice President. In addition, the 1921 Lime Rock Volunteer Fire Station was renamed the Buckley Building on June 27, 1999 to honor Ann’s hard work and dedication to the Society. This building is currently used as a museum and for archival storage. Ann was a communicant of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, Pawtucket, where she had been a member of the Golden Circle, the ECW Women’s Guild, and worked in the Thrift Shop.
She is survived by her children, Patricia A. Armitage and Carol L. Graves and her husband, Paul, all of Warwick and Prudence Island, Richard I. Buckley, Jr. and his wife, Cindy of Lincoln and Prudence Island, and David A. Buckley of Maple Shade, New Jersey; her seven grandchildren, W. David Armitage V and his wife, Jennifer, Christine Graves Taylor and her husband, James, Matthew Graves and his wife, Erica, Brieann Buckley, Lauren Buckley Drummond and her husband, Robert, Richard I. Buckley III, and Nicholas Buckley; her four great-granddaughters, Kaylie and Genevieve Armitage, and Ava and Cadence Graves; and several nieces and nephews. She was the sister of the late William J. Hunter.
The family would like to thank the staffs of Elmhurst Extended Care and Home & Hospice Care of RI for their kind care of their mother.
A Requiem Eucharist will be held Monday, April 15 at 10 A.M. in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 50 Park Place, Pawtucket. Burial will be in Rhode Island Veterans’ Cemetery, Exeter.
Relatives and friends are invited and may call at Bellows Funeral Chapel, 160 River Road, Lincoln Sunday 2-5 P.M.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Mrs. Buckley’s memory to the Blackstone Valley Historical Society, P.O. Box 125, Lincoln, RI 02865 would be appreciated. For Directions and Guest Book, please visit www.bellowsfuneralchapel.com.
