Patricia Evelyn (Rogers) Buckner, affectionately known as Pat, passed away suddenly on January 23, 2019, in her home. Born June 4, 1943, in Akron, Ohio, Patricia graduated from Garfield High School and attended The University of Akron, earning a bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education and embarking on a remarkable 30-year career as a teacher in the Akron Public Schools system. During this time, she touched countless lives. She was also the initiator of the 3.0 Club across the school system which allowed high school students to earn a varsity letter for strong academic achievement. She felt those earning good grades should receive recognition just as athletes do.  Her passion for teaching and nurturing was remembered years after she retired, as she would often receive handwritten notes and messages from past students.

After retirement, she continued to teach in her own home, caring for all six of her grandchildren from birth and ensuring that they were all school-ready.  These were the moments that brought her the greatest joy: spending time with her family members and showering them with love and kindness. She was a giver. She gave of herself selflessly and wholeheartedly and always with a sweet smile that made others feel special. She exuded an angelic radiance and spirit felt not only by her family, but by everyone she met. This beautiful spirit was evident even in her childhood. Her loving and devoted husband of 50 years, Michael Buckner, can tell you about it. Pat and Mike met when they were both only around ten years old. Being a wife and making the Buckner home a warm haven of love for Mike, their children and grandchildren, and all else who entered was a gift Pat held very dear to her heart.

Pat’s childhood home was her example of what love for family feels and looks like. When she was a child, Pat and her parents shared their home with Aunt Laura and Uncle George, and then 16 years later, her younger brother Mark came along. She treasured those times, seeing her Aunt and Uncle as second parents and doting over her brother as he grew up. As an adult, she always loved seeing her brother’s furniture creations and creative artifacts, especially his beautiful handmade prayer stools. She and Michael also helped raise her only nephew, Chris Rogers, while he lived with them through his formative years.

In addition to being a wonderful wife, mother, sister, grandmother, daughter, and niece, Patricia was also a lover of the arts. Following in the footsteps of her father who was artistic and a self-taught violinist, Pat learned to play piano at an early age and passed the love of music and the arts on to her children and grandchildren who always amazed her with their impromptu art shows at family gatherings. Our Pat could also carry a pretty steady, soulful tune. She was a part of a doo-wop singing group in middle and high school known as The Supreme’s. She would often reminisce about the fun she had performing with her friends [Royce Murphy, Alice (Golden) Ritchie Barbara (Dunson) Scott, Marnell Wright, and Bernadine Wright] at talent shows and school assemblies. And, she knew her way around the badminton court, holding the Team Champion title in gym class at the University of Akron with teammate Henry Brown. She supported athletics and enjoyed watching her husband, sons, and grandchildren on the fields and courts over the years.

Pat’s church and her community were also important to her. She was a lifetime member of Robert Street Church of God (now Arlington Church of God). She loved her church and often shared fond memories she had as a child each summer learning how to be a missionary with other youth at W. Middlesex, PA, campground.  She was also a philanthropist, giving of her time and treasure to many individuals and organizations.  Pat would often accompany her Aunt Laura on home visitations, praying for those who were sick and shut-in. She was a past president of Jack and Jill of America, Akron Chapter; a board member of Akron Children’s Concert Society, a member of the local chapter of the NAACP, and a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated (initiated into the Delta Pi Chapter at the University of Akron). She was also the first African American to be inducted into the Mortar Board Honor Society, an association of individuals selected for distinguished ability and achievement in scholarship at The University of Akron.

Patricia was preceded in death by her parents, Samuel and Ruth Rogers, and her Aunt and Uncle, Laura and George Thurston, who helped to raise her and her brother, Mark.

To cherish her life and memory, she leaves her devoted and faithful husband, Michael; and her loving children: Michael, II (Tawanna), Tobin (Traci), and Brandon (Jennifer); brother, Mark (Sossy), Uncle Harry (Clissie), Aunt Anita Culp; mother-in-law, Marian Buckner; God-daughters, Rae Finnie (Marcus) and Alexis Curry; nephew, Christopher Rogers; cousins: Gary Culp, Les Culp, Carl Rogers, Jr., Tony Rogers, Rita Rogers, Regina Rogers, Marvin Rogers, Jr., Scott Rogers, Jeffrey Rogers, and Martin Rogers; grandchildren: Mayon, Jackson, Mikah, Justice, Cadence, and Chase; and special friends, Barbara Scott (Fred) and Dolores Rouhlac-Nance.

Patricia “Pat” Buckner – a gentle woman of strong faith and love; a wife, mother, grandmother, and friend. May her soul rest in perfect peace.