Obituary of Lee M. Buck

The journey of life has come to an end for Lee M. Buck, Jr. His wife's journey ended six months ago. He died on July 13, 2015 at St. Elizabeth's Hospital due to complications of lymphoma. He was born on June 10, 1929 to Lee N. Buck, Sr and Clara Cross Buck. Lee Sr died when Lee Jr was 16. Subsequently, Lee had to put aside hopes of going to college or joining a service band in order to help his mother make ends meet. He attended Clinton School (Class of '48) after attending Clark Mills Elementary School. It was there that he found his passion in life, playing the saxophone; and he was good at it! He was given a gift; he could play by ear like his father. When his father died, he started playing in a band. It was this money that helped to sustain his mother and him. Lee got a job with the railroad right out of high school. After that he was hired at Kelsey Hayes; which turned into a 39 year career. He met his wife at a dance at the Mayfair (Maennerchor) and was married six months later in a snowstorm. He got stuck in the driveway trying to get to the church on time. He lived his whole life in the house in which he was born. His parents and grandparents lived in the house before him. He had so much love for it. He would spend hours working in the yard planting and tending to his flowers. His favorite flower was a cleome. He started many trees there as well. His favorite was a sycamore tree. Through the years he saw his surroundings change from country farmlands to suburban America. With that came good neighbors. He had many stories to tell of the railroad and mill days in Clark Mills. In earlier years, he was known as Toby Buck. In 1958, he formed the Clark Mills Community Band with Otto Stressel and Bernie Brown. This was a labor of love. He spent the next 40 years playing the saxophone while marching down the street and playing under the beer tent. He voluntarily enjoyed helping many youth learn how to play musical instruments. From this he formed lasting friendships with Bill Brown and Mike Hanley. There are so many lives he touched by playing in the band, it is impossible to name them all. Special recognition goes out to Ken Sr, Ken Jr, and Mike Walters; Charlie Traxel; Frankie Gibbs; and Bill Wilcox, to name a few. He spent time researching his family genealogy. He traced his great-grandparents back to the Frankfort Hills Cemetery. Many of the Buck family are buried in Mexico, NY. Lee faithfully traveled to the Mexico Cemetery annually to plant flowers. His hobbies were garage sales, digging up old bottles, antiques, buying used cars, and walking the dog along the Oriskany Creek. No matter where his daughter relocated, he always planted flowers in order to make her world more beautiful. He played with many bands over the years. After the Clark Mills Community Band ended, he played with the Red Band. Recently, he played at the Harding Nursing Home, Presbyterian Home, Masonic Home, and Yesterday's Senior Ensemble. He was a member of the St. Mark's Episcopal Church; singing in the choir when younger. He and his wife formed a friendship with Alice, a Jehovah's Witness who would visit them often. They contributed often to the St. Labre Indian School in Montana for the last 50 years. He is survived by his daughter Linda Lee Buck of Whitesboro; granddaughter Lucinda Ashley Buck (Adam Grinvalsky) of Clifton Park; and son Glenn and his wife Linda Sue Buck of Lynchburg, Virginia; niece Jacqueline (Tom) Lapertosa, and their children Francesco, Maria, Lauren, and Cecilia; nephews David Hughes and Kevin (Lisa) Hughes and their children: Gabriella, Jordan, and Olivia; and his wonderful neighbors, the McCabe's, Citrins, Chandlers, and Sonia Teuchert; and her grandson Gary (Rob) Holeck, both of whom he had a special bond. Sonia, especially, was a tremendous help to him at the end. He was predeceased by his parents; his wife, Ellen B. Hughes-Buck, who died on their 61st wedding anniversary; their infant daughter, Donna Jean; and his dog, Lilly. Lee has a saxophone engraved on his tombstone with the words," He Blew It" (his wife's suggestion). He had a great sense of humor. In lieu of a donation, the family asks people to plant a flower or tree in his memory in a special place. He would very much like that. If you have a space for a sycamore tree (they grow very large) please contact his daughter, Linda, and she will be happy to give you one that he started. All are invited to call Thursday, July 16, 2015 from 2-4:30pm at St. Mark's Episcopal Church, 21 White Street, Clark Mills and stay for the funeral service at 4:30pm at church. The burial will be in Kirkland Cemetery.