Tracey Tighe Buckman

September 11, 1942 - February 17, 2020

Tracey Tighe Buckman, of Alexandria, Virginia, passed away in her sleep on Monday, February 17, 2020 following complications from Alzheimer’s disease. Prior to 2018, she and her late husband of 53 years, Charles “Chuck” Buckman, resided in Upper St. Clair, Pennsylvania for 42 years. She was born in Seattle, Washington on September 11, 1942, the daughter of Kathleen Eva Sutcliffe and Ronald J.W. Tighe. The family moved to Chicago, Illinois, and then to Alexandria, Virginia. After they moved to San Diego, California, Kathleen remarried, Stephen Hager, who was a treasured stepfather to Tracey. Tracey attended Grossmont High School in La Mesa, where she graduated in 1960. She was an avid equestrian; and enjoyed many accomplishments during her show jumping years. In 1963, she graduated from the University of California, Berkeley with a B.A. in Anthropology, with a minor in Archaeology. She belonged in the Alpha Delta Pi Sorority. During summer breaks, Tracey worked at the Lair of the Golden Bear camp, where she taught horseback riding. Tracey enjoyed her tireless and extensive community service as a volunteer for various environmental causes. She volunteered as a docent at the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History, and, assisted in archaeology field work at Elkhorn Slough when the family lived in Felton, California. In Upper St Clair, Pennsylvania, she was named the winner of the Bethel- St. Clair Rotary Club’s Outstanding Volunteer Award for 2001- 2002. She is quoted as saying “Bringing people together to understand the benefits of a healthy environment is very rewarding. My goal is to conserve the land for the enjoyment of our future generations.” She founded the Upper St. Clair Citizens for Land Stewardship, then served as its President from 1996-2002. That group, in partnership with Upper St. Clair Township, earned the Governor’s Award for Watershed Stewardship for its work on the McLaughlin Run Watershed. She worked towards the preservation of the Upper St. Clair area, including the land in Boyce-Mayview Park. In addition, Tracey was a board member for The Lower Chartiers Watershed Council, and a development committee member for the Regional Environmental Education Center Project in Upper St. Clair. She was a board member for the Conservation Consultants Inc, in Pittsburgh, and on an advisory committee for the River Conservation Plan. Finally, she was an advisory board member for the NiSource Inc. Environmental Challenge Fund, which provides grants to environmental conservation groups. Tracey was a loving wife and mother. She and her husband, Chuck Buckman, were enthusiastic world travelers. Their love of fishing and scuba diving took them to many unique and exotic destinations. More recently, they would enjoy winter escapes to the Florida Keys, or to visit their three grandchildren. On the home front, they attended Pittsburgh Steelers, Penguins and Pirates games, and hiked. Tracey spent countless hours designing and working in her gardens. Tracey was preceded in death by her devoted husband of 53 years Chuck Buckman. She is survived by her children, Tracey Whaley (Garwood), of Alexandria, Virginia, and Beau Buckman of Grants Pass, Oregon; and cherished Grandchildren, Morgan, Jacob and Bronia. Family and friends are invited to a Gathering to Celebrate Tracey’s Life on Saturday, March 7, 2020 from 4:00-6:00 pm at Jefferson Funeral Chapel, 5755 Castlewellan Drive, Alexandria, Virginia, 22315. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made in her name to the Alzheimer’s Association, http://act.alz.org/goto/Tracey_Buckman or the American Humane Society www.americanhumane.org/traceybuckman