Leo Thomas (Tommy) Buckley Jr. was born June 25, 1943 in Temple, Texas to Leo Thomas and Annie Roe (Bowen) Buckley. He attended Avenue D School, and Rancier Junior High, where he met his future bride, Lolly. He was a 1961 graduate of Killeen High School and earned his degree in Business Management from Texas Christian University in 1965.
He married Lolly Conklin in 1964 and moved home to Killeen in 1966 where he and Lolly raised their two children, Brad and Kelli.
Tommy spent 38 years as a Management Analyst for the Department of the Army at Fort Hood. Following his retirement, he spent five years traveling across the United States involved in government contracting.
Though he served more than 40 years working at Fort Hood and across the country, his favorite job was ranching. He ran cows with his father, Leo, his dear friend, Kenneth Haedge, his son, Brad, and finally his grandson-in-law, Kyle Dykes. When not on the family ranch in Youngsport, he spent many days with his fellow cowboys at the Army Camp roping, branding, vaccinating, and taking cows to the sale barn. Both of his kids spent plenty of time with him in the saddle where Brad decided to be a cowboy as well, but Kelli decided to be a dancer. Over the last 20 years he spent countless hours involved in the cutting horse industry with Brad where he managed the barn, traveled up and down the road, and became part of a wonderful cutting horse family that he loved dearly.
Despite always working and ranching, his family was always his number one priority. He could always be found at any event that involved his kids and his grandkids. From an auditorium at a dance recital to the stands at Will Rogers Coliseum and anywhere else he could cheer on his family; he was always there… an hour early.
Tommy was a member of the National Cutting Horse Association, the Bell County Cutting Horse Association, the First United Methodist Church of Killeen, and was a 2022 inductee in the Bell County Cowboys and Cowgirls Ring of Honor.
Tommy was preceded in death by his wife, Lolly, and his parents, Leo and Annie Roe. He is survived by his sister, Lisa Buckley Robin and her husband, Lonnie, of Fort Worth; son, Brad Buckley and his wife, Susan, of Salado; daughter, Kelli Buckley Strother and her husband, Jon, of Denver, Colorado; grandchildren, Emily Buckley Dykes and her husband, Kyle, Erin and Bo Buckley, and Lucas and Maren Strother; great-grandson, Leo Dykes; and more friends than you can count.
Memorials can be made in Tommy’s memory to the Texas Kidney Foundation at www.txkidney.org.
The Buckley family wishes to extend a heartfelt thank you to the staff of Baylor Scott & White ICU and Continuing Care Hospital for their compassionate care and concern for Tommy over these past few weeks.
Family will receive guests for a time of visitation from 5:00-7:00 pm on Sunday, April 9th at Crawford Bowers Funeral Home in Killeen. A Celebration of Life will be at 10:00 am, Monday, April 10 at First United Methodist Church in Killeen. Burial will follow at Live Oak Cemetery in Youngsport.
Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.crawfordbowersfuneralhome.com for the Buckley family.
