John W. Buckingham, age 97, of St Louis, passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his loving family on July 20, 2018. A funeral service will be held at 12 pm, Friday, July 27, 2018, at Hoffmeister South County Chapel, 1515 Lemay Ferry Rd, St Louis, MO. Interment will follow in Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery. Visitation is at the funeral home from 10 am until the time of service.
John was born July 7, 1921 in Melber, Kentucky to Sylvester and Nona (nee Belcher) Buckingham, the fourth of six children. John lived on the family farm in Pulaski, Illinois and drove a Pepsi Cola truck at the end of the Great Depression. In 1942, John enlisted in the United States Army and served as a Truck Driver and Combat Infantryman in World War II. While stationed in Hemel Hempstead, England, John once had the honor of substitute driving for General Eisenhower. John was in the sixth wave at Omaha Beach in Normandy and subsequently served in Northern France, Southern France, Central Europe and Rhineland. Among his decorations are a Purple Heart and a Silver Battle Star, the latter of which has yet to be delivered. John received an honorable discharge in 1945 and went on with his life in Granite City, IL. When interviewed in June, 2018 for a KSDK TV interview highlighting his honorable service record, John continued to display humbleness and patriotism.
After his return from World War II, John was united in marriage to the late Thelma Irene Humphrey. John and Thelma worked side-by-side in their business and he cared for her through declining health until she passed away in the Spring of 1981. John had a long and illustrious career as a driver, a great accomplishment for someone who never passed a formal driving test. He drove his own dry cleaning route until 2017 until he begrudgingly gave it up at the insistence of his loving family; he formally retired in April of this year from all his duties.
John is survived by his loving companion of 36 years, Marylyn Simpson; four children: Larry E. Buckingham, Ramona Sue (Albert) Costello, June La Rose Lansing and Tina Noelle (Timothy) Brendlinger; 8 grandchildren: Matthew, Jonathan, Sonya (Edward), Margaret (Joseph), Nathan (Jamie), Clay, Chelsea and Dustyn (Leah); and 18 great-grandchildren: Emma, Tyler, Jake, Jeremy, Christian, Sebastian, Gabriel, Ramona, Peyton, Aubree, Benjamin, Everleigh, Haven, Ezra June, Austyn, Evie, Isabella and Nicholas. John was preceded in death by his five siblings and two grandchildren: Emily Franke and Albert Costello.
John was best known for his wicked sense of humor and for always being the sharpest dressed man in the room. John was a people person, a friend to all who met him, and was happiest when his family and friends were happy. John was member of the 2nd Baptist Church and a former member of Tower Grove Baptist Church where he had served on the school board. John loved classic country, gospel music, and watching Cardinals baseball. One of the highlights of his life was a 3-day honor tour of Washington DC in 2012. His family will fondly remember John as being "fine and dandy" and "faaaaantastic" even if he couldn't remember the name of the "whatchamacallit".
Memorial donations in his name can be made to Disabled American Veterans.
Mr. Buckingham was featured in a television interview last June in which he speaks about his experience at Omaha Beach at Normandy, France, on D-Day, June 6, 1944.
https://www.ksdk.com/video/news/local/remembering-d-day/63-8152569
