Buck William Micheel

Captain Buck William Micheel, 74, of Germantown, TN, passed away peacefully in his home surrounded by his family. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife of 42 years, Donna Marie and survived by his son, Shaun, wife, Stephanie and their children Dade and Marin, and by his daughter, Shannon, husband Michael Kresko and their son, John Aidan. Buck was born, April 29, 1942 to Carl and Lelia Micheel on a cattle ranch outside of Valentine in the Sand Hills of Nebraska, a place that influenced his life immensely. After attending a one room school house through 8th grade and graduating from Springview High School in 1960, Buck enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and served in the 6910th RGM in Darmstadt, Germany. Having taught himself to fly an Aeronica Champ, he had dreams of becoming an aviator. Upon earning his ratings in flight school in Greeley, CO, and after a late Spring snowstorm, Buck packed up his car and moved to Florida where he began his career with AirLift International and Shawnee airlines, a small commuter airline.In early 1973, Buck took a chance on a new company, Federal Express, and moved his family to Memphis, TN to fly Falcons for the new overnight freight business, becoming Captain that same year. As the company expanded, so did his career, flying the left seat of the Boeing 727, DC 10 and MD-11. After nearly 30 years and over 29,000 hours, Buck, an esteemed airman in the eyes of all who had the opportunity to fly with him, retired from FedEx in November, 2001. Although aviation was one of his life's passions, Buck was also an avid outdoorsman, fisherman and hunter throughout his life. He was an accomplished lover of the game of golf that took him to some of the most famous golf clubs around the world before, during and after his retirement. Through all of his travels in work and in leisure, Buck gathered friends by the hundreds and will be remembered for his humble and sincere nature, his pride in and commitment to his life's work, and his quiet but quick sense of humor and witty "Buck-isms". Perhaps most of all, he will be remembered for his love of and generosity to his family, friends and community.A celebration of life is planned for Saturday, January 14th at Ridgeway Country Club, 9800 Poplar Ave Germantown, TN 38139 from 3 - 6 p.m. preceded by a private burial in West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery. Online condolences may be made at www.ColliervilleFuneral.com. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to Make a Wish of the Mid-South, 1780 Moriah Woods Blvd. Suite 10, Memphis, TN 38117 or to the charity of the donor's choosing.