And OH! What a Life Peg Buckley Lived

9-13-35 ~ 4-21-23
Peg Buckley was born on Friday, September 13, 1935 in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY to Margaret and Arthur Damm. Her mom wanted to name her Nellie. However, the Catholic Church required Saint names in 1935 and the saint’s name for Nellie was Helen. Go ahead, say it out loud. Helen Damm. It’s hilarious. Hence, she ended up Margaret Nellie Damm. Her family called her Margue (pronounced with an emphasis on the G). Her kids were lucky enough to call her Mom, Mommy, Mommo and Mama – and occasionally, Mother, but only when it was necessary. She was thrilled to be Grandma Bubbles to her grandchildren and great grandchildren.
 
In 1967, the family moved from Brooklyn “to the country,” AKA Massapequa, NY on Long Island. From there Peg lived in Mt. Kisco, NY, Kauai, HI, Siesta Key, FL and Sarasota, FL. She forged lifelong friendships and made lasting impressions wherever she was.
 
Peg worked as a secretary for the FBI (perhaps that’s where her love for ALL those types of television programs began), AT&T as a long-distance operator, NY Telephone Company, where she was responsible for the implementation of Wang computers in the legal department and NYNEX after divestiture.
 
Those jobs were stepping stones for her real work.
 
Peg walked her talk. A self-described peacemaker, Peg was a tireless crusader for civil rights, migrant workers, women’s rights, children’s causes, and anything that sparked a bit of fury in her; she wanted things to be right, fair and just. These are values she raised her family with. We have and will continue to honor her teachings.
 
A lifelong questioner of all things spiritual, it was only natural that Peg started her journey learning meditation. She studied shamanism. She became a Reiki master. She found her way to tarot cards. She was a gifted reader who read hundreds of clients over the years including more than a few celebrities. She was an equally gifted teacher of the tarot.
 
Peg’s greatest learning adventure happened in Kauai, Hawaii. While there, Peg studied the seven principles of Huna with Serge Kahili King. She was a glorious Hawaiian Shaman who kept the company of Play Bear and Serious Bear.
 
On Thursday morning before she left this earthly plane, she recited the principles she lived by every day.
 
·         IKE– The world is what you think it is.
·         KALA– There are no limits, everything is possible.
·         MAKIA – Energy flows where attention goes.
·         MANAWA – Now is the moment of power.
·         ALOHA – To love is to be happy.
·         MANA – Power comes from within.
·         PONO – Effectiveness is the measure of truth.
 
Peg ran retreats all over the world. She loved laughing meditations. She loved labyrinths. She loved breathing exercises. She loved connecting with people from every walk of life. She LISTENED. She was not a passive listener; she was an active listener. You always felt heard.
 
She read voraciously and had eclectic taste in reading. She had many bookshelves filled with spiritual and poetry volumes. Her most influential spiritual teacher was Thich Nhat Hanh. Her favorite poet was Billy Collins. We think her favorite genre had to be mysteries and gore. She leaves behind journals and notebooks filled with millions of words; sharing her poetry, her innermost thoughts and her love of this life she lived.
 
She tried her hand at knitting, crochet, needlepoint, Zentangle, sculpture and even painting.

Bar none, one of Peg's favorite inventions was the DVR. No weeknight was complete without Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy. You would have thought Amy Schneider was her own child by the way she cheered her on during her reign. If the words NCIS were in the title, she watched it. CNN and MSBNC kept her informed of the news of the world. CBS This Morning let her know what was happening on a daily basis. She jumped over to the Today show on Sunday's to visit with Willie Geist. The Hallmark channel kept her entertained day in and day out. We laughed out loud at the show Ghosts. We binge watched the Spring Baking Championship from the first season until the last. TV provided amazing companionship when she was home. She was “friends” with each and every person she watched on TV.
 
Her favorite word was serendipity. One of her catch phrases was Holy Jamolee. And we ALL know her very favorite sentence was, “While you’re up…” For the record, more often than not, none of us were “up.”
 
She welcomed you with “Aloha!” She thanked you with “Mahalo.”
 
She adored pretty, sparkly things! She enjoyed fine crystal for eating, drinking and serving. She collected Mother Earth crystals for protection, guidance and meditation. Her dishes were vibrantly colored. She wore glorious scarves. Her eyeglasses were statement pieces. She had an abundance of well-loved jewelry. She changed her pocketbook with every outfit. Her toenails HAD to be glittery, preferably in the pink family. She never left the house without lipstick on. She thoroughly embraced the Sarasota boutique Oh My Gauze! with a rainbow of color hanging in her closet. Each piece of her artwork told a story. Her home was a warm, bodacious, colorful, light filled, magical, peaceful space. She held court on her throne and we loved (and teased) her for it.
 
She loved to cook and was of the full belief “why use one recipe when you can combine many.” She loved Penzey’s spices and had a cabinet full of them. She loved kitchen gadgets. She enjoyed dinner parties, oatmeal under the oaks, brunch, restaurants by the water and gathering with her people.
 
She loved Sarasota for its culture and was a member of every art/dance/theater/opera company in the area. She loved museums. She loved galleries. She loved shops that had whimsical items.
 
She had a great wanderlust. She had sensational experiences all over the world. She adored China. The Cliffs of Mohr took her breath away. Paris on New Year’s Eve with her friend Helen was an oft spoken about adventure. She believed it was terribly unfair that she had no Italian in her because Italy spoke so strongly to her.
 
She was, in a word, MARVELOUS.
 
Peg’s final lasting lesson to all of us was to teach us how to live while dying. To be thoroughly optimistic and full of hope while at the same time, realistic. To surround herself and others in golden light and with golden hearts. To accept the end of her life with grace and laughter and endless measures of love.
 
Her last words to her many friends were, “I hope I see you again someday.” Her soul sisters and brothers connected with her on deep level and will most certainly meet up with her again. Look for the signs.
 
Her sister Nancy and her sister Rosemary have lost their middle sister. She was predeceased by her brother Art and “her baby,” her brother Charles (when she was eight) who she loved forever.
 
She bequeaths to the world, her greatest legacy, her ohana, her family.
The Pinques: Maggie, Marco, Peter and Isabella.
The Stephens: Annemarie, Ted, Caitlan (Kyle, Luca, Alden & Emmett Reed), Joshua, Nathaniel and Jennifer (Dalton & Lorelai Leeman).
The McCarthys: Jane, Brian, Colleen and Doug.
The Buckleys: Tom, Kim, Jack, Lily, Kate and Molly.
 
To quote Aunt Nancy, our days will be a little dimmer for a while.
 
We must take a moment to call out her physicians and their staff. Over the years she raved about her excellent care and we couldn’t agree more.
Oncology: Dr. Elizabeth Guancial, Arin Jackson, Nurse Practitioner, Bree, RN
Moffitt Radiation Oncology: Dr. Dan Fernandez
Gynecology: Dr. Toni Kilts
Cardiology: Dr. Mark Ramos, Stephanie, RN
Ophthalmology: Dr. Keye Wong
Family Medicine & Geriatrics: Dr. Soordal Prakash
 
Peg participated in a gynecological support group, THRIVE, run by Elizabeth Bornstein and Carolyn Primus. It was her safe place to go where she could share exactly how life was treating her with others going through similar situations. Twice a month she gave herself permission to be fully and completely real. Her life was enriched by the women in her group.
 
At the end of her life Peg was exquisitely cared for by Tidewell Hospice.
 
There are not enough superfluous adjectives to thank her nurse, Angela Barrs. Angie is a breath of sunshine who brought a soft, calm demeanor along with kindness, compassion and astute knowledge of what could happen as the months passed. She made the whole family feel comfortable every step of the way and never pulled any punches. Her beautiful soul and her great laugh will be remembered by us forever.
 
Huge thanks to Donna Darcangelo, the nurse who arrived late at night and stayed until we were stable. She sat with us, sang with us, laughed with us, cried with us, and held Peg and our hands. She arrived exactly when we needed her the most and for that we are grateful beyond measure.
 
Thank you to Brenda Meldrum, who answered the phone at 4:00am and helped talk us off the ledge. Her knowledge and experience were precisely what we needed, when we needed it.
 
We extend thanks and love to Nidia Juarbe – CNA, Carol Avellino – CNA, Carol Vogel – LMT, Lisa Long – MSW, Beth Palmer – Wing Span player and spiritual sharer, Sherry Cleckner – RN and Elizabeth Wilson – RN. If we have forgotten anyone we apologize, please know how important you were to Peg.
 
Please do not send flowers. PLEASE make a donation in her name to the amazing organization that provided so much tender care to her.
Tidewell Hospice: https://tidewellfoundation.org/donate/
 
A Florida Celebration of Life will be held on Friday, May 19 from 11-1 at the Village Gardens Club House located at 5098 Village Gardens Drive, Sarasota, Florida 34234.
 
A New York Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, June 17 at The Hudson Valley Writers Center located at 300 Riverside Drive, Sleepy Hollow, NY 10591.

Published in the Herald-Tribune
https://www.heraldtribune.com/obituaries/psar0477243