Jeannette B. Buckley was born at Beth Israel Hospital, in New York City, on March 4, 1940, and passed peacefully on September 18, 2026, in Reston, Virginia, surrounded by round-the-clock love and care from her devoted great-grandchildren, grandchildren, and children. Jeannette lived a life defined by deep faith in God, unwavering strength, generosity, and an extraordinary dedication to her family. 

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Jeannette spent her early years in Bridgeport, CT before moving to her beloved St. Mark’s Place on the Lower East Side of Manhattan (it was never the East Village to her) where she lived until she married. Jeannette’s New York City of the 1950s and early 1960s was a place and time that she held close to her heart. She loved entertaining her family with stories of these days, such helping her adored brother, John Bucko, and his fraternity members to direct traffic around Cooper Union with a lifeguard whistle, being chosen “Miss NYU” in the campus paper, despite the fact that she was a Hunter College student, and celebrating a New York that seemed to have an egg cream on every corner and a Yankee World Series crown each October. She passed this love of the city to her children, teaching them to navigate both the sidewalks (keep up a New York pace) and the subway (keep a viselike grip on your token until the exact moment you insert it into the turnstile slot). 

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It was in New York that she met a handsome law student, John T. Buckley, who would become her partner for life from 1962, when they were married, until his passing in 2017. Jeannette and John started building their family in Brooklyn, NY, where their four children, Mary Sharon, Kathryn, John, and Thomas, were born. After a few years, the family moved to their home in Pleasantville, NY, where their children grew up. This much loved Bedford Road house served as an epicenter of activity, including Cub Scout meetings, backyard sports, cast parties, exchange student gatherings, and thousands of late night conversations around the kitchen table. Later the family moved to Fairfield, CT where Jeannette enjoyed her proximity to the waters of Long Island Sound and continued to welcome visitors (including animals) into her home. 

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Whether in New York or Connecticut, Jeannette often referred to her house as “Grand Central Station,” a place where friends of her children, as well as of John and herself, were greeted warmly at any hour of the day and guaranteed to be fed well upon their arrival. She was known not only for her gourmet efforts such as her famous paella and beef bourguignon, but also for her simpler, but delicious, sandwiches and “big salads” which she served at spirited dinners she hosted for family and friends. Jeannette also delighted in taking her family on adventurous journeys both within the United States and abroad, including to Sweden, Ogunquit, Maine, and San Francisco, California.

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In her later years, Jeannette moved with John to Northern Virginia to be close to her ever-growing family. This allowed her steadfast, unconditional love to be poured into her grandchildren and great-grandchildren at countless family gatherings and visits until she passed. This move also brought her to her spiritual community of St. Mary’s parish in Barnesville, MD where she forged deep friendships and practiced her faith. 

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Jeannette’s legacy lives on through her four children, Mary Sharon Buckley, Kathryn Buckley (Greg Braun), John Buckley (Teresa Buckley) and Thomas Buckley (Catherine Buckley), as well as through her 11 grandchildren, Emily Larkin (James Larkin), Olivia Ambuehl, Sophia Braun, Mari Braun, Katherine Christina Buckley, Emma Buckley, Thomas Buckley, Colin Buckley, Luke Buckley, Zachary Buckley, and Alina Buckley, and her four great-grandchildren: James Larkin, Claire Larkin, Matthew Larkin, and Anne Larkin. 

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Services will be held at 11:00 a.m on Monday, September 28, 2026, at Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, 18230 Barnesville Road, Barnesville, MD 20838 (https://stmaryshrine.org/). Interment will follow immediately in the church cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please send contributions to the Saint Mary’s Church Haitian Fund. Donation information is available at https://stmaryshrine.org/haiti-twinning.