Janet Buckley, 90, of Ithaca died Friday evening, April 17 at the Hospicare residence in Ithaca.
Jan was born Janet May Elliott on May 2, 1929, in Galt, Ontario, Canada to Hugh Croll Elliott and Jean (Barrie) Elliott. She received degrees in both Elementary Education and Home Economics from the MacDonald Institute at Guelph where she also met Edward "Ted" Buckley who was attending Ontario Agricultural College, also at Guelph. They were married on July 7, 1956.
Early in their marriage, Jan taught at the prestigious Spence School in Manhattan while Ted completed his graduate work at Columbia University. In 1958 the young couple moved to Boston and started a family. In 1965 Ted took a position at Boyce Thompson Institute and they returned to New York State. In 1978, BTI affiliated with Cornell and the family moved to Ithaca, where Ted and Jan spent the rest of their lives. They were naturalized as America citizens in 1988.
When the children were small, Jan volunteered in the elementary school and with the Girl Scouts. Later she returned to work, supporting Ted's career as a Biochemist by assisting with grant proposals and lab work. She devoted much of her life to researching the Elliott and Buckley family genealogy. Jan was a great lover of music and a member of the First Congregational Church of Ithaca and its choir for many years. She was an active resident at Longview and involved in gardening, hiking, and many adult education programs hosted by Ithaca College.
Jan leaves behind a daughter, Anne [Allen] Becker of West Danby, NY, a son, Eric [Kate] Buckley, a grandson, Oliver Buckley of St. Louis, MO and a sister, Helen Hollidge of Paris, Ontario. She is preceded in death by her husband, Ted Buckley and her daughter, Carol Jean Buckley.
Those who wish to honor her memory please consider a donation to Hospicare & Palliative Services, 172 East King Road, Ithaca, NY 14850.
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