Mrs. Marianne Buckley

Marianne Gillen Buckley died of age related complications on Wednesday, June 22, 2011 at 1:50 PM at the Fountainview Center in Atlanta, Georgia. She was surrounded by her surviving children at the time. She was 80 years old. Marianne was born in Peoria, Illinois on October 21, 1930. She grew up with her parents and her beloved sister Susan in Lake Wales, Florida. She received a bachelor's degree in journalism at Florida State University where she was an editor of the college newspaper and president of her sorority, Chi Omega. There she was instilled with the view that women should pursue excellent scholarship, loyal community service and loyal friendship with each other. She moved to Atlanta, Georgia and there one Sunday morning her husband to be, Ferdinand Buckley asked if he could give her a ride home after mass at Christ the King Cathedral. There began a love story that spanned over 55 years. The two were married on May 1, 1954 and were inseparable until his death in July 2009. They had five children whom they raised in the Sandy Springs area. They were active parishioners at St. Jude's Catholic Church, where Marianne was named an Outstanding Catholic Woman of the Archdiocese of Atlanta. She and her husband Ferd were active in the Civil Rights Movement, hosting meetings of activists in their home, and hosting international visitors in an effort to break down barriers and teach their children to embrace a larger and more diverse world. They were active in politics and often expressed views on issues of the day that were neither comfortable nor mainstream. She was active in the Atlanta Conference of Christians and Jews. She opposed the death penalty, and visited prisoners on Death Row. Marianne was a devoted wife, mother and educator who steered her children toward working for social justice and the greater good of humanity. A beautiful, graceful lady, she elevated any conversation when she entered any room. She was a voracious reader on news of all sorts, politics, social justice, and religion and engaged her children, husband and friends in spirited discussions on these subjects and how each fit into a larger moral tapestry. She taught those who knew her that life was a quilt of moral choices, which, when woven together, could make a vast difference not just for an individual, but for families and society as a whole. She believed in uplifting the downtrodden, and disarming the pompous. She was vitally interested in her children's lives and did not hesitate to give advice on her views on how they should behave, even as adults. She measured out praise with constructive criticism, continuously reminding us that we could always do better. In her sixties, when many people are content to rest on their laurels, she went back to school at Loyola University and obtained her Master's degree in pastoral counseling, using it in her work at Christ the King Cathedral to counsel battered women, to teach seminars and classes and to form community support groups. She was active in Pax Christi, a Catholic organization advocating peace and disarmament, social justice and human security. Even as senior citizens, she and her husband, Ferd believed strongly in human rights. They were arrested together in Columbus, Georgia while marching in protest against the School of the Americas out of concern for human rights violations promulgated in Latin America. She is survived by her children Kathryn, Elizabeth and her husband Hank, Mary and Edward and his wife Patricia. Her son Charles died in 1976. She is also survived by eight grandchildren: Matthew, Anna Kathryn, Daniel, Isaac, Francis, Derek, Natalie, Hope, and four great grandchildren: David, Joseph, Olivia, and little David. She is also survived by numerous cousins, nieces and nephews in the Buckley, Sutter, Stanner and Daniel families. The celebration of Marianne's life will be held at the Cathedral of Christ the King at 10:30 am on Tuesday, June 28. Visitation and Evening Prayer will be held at Patterson's Funeral Home between 6:00PM and 8 PM on Monday, June 27. In lieu of flowers donations should be sent to The Alzheimer's Association in Marianne's name.