Richard David Buckner, 76, of Franklin, passed away on Thursday, Sept. 26, 2024. Rich was born in St. Louis, MO in 1947 to David and Dorothy Buckner. He attended Normandy High School in St. Louis and earned his bachelor’s degree in construction management from Bradley University in Peoria, IL, during which time he met and fell in love with his wife of nearly 52 years, Linda Jane Pletz Buckner. Rich and Linda married on Dec. 2, 1972.
Rich grew up a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, baked goods and all kinds of ice cream. He had one younger sister, Carol, and their childhood was one of simpler times, characterized by outdoor playtime, bike riding and long weekends spent on the farm with their grandparents. He loved photography from an early age, carrying that passion into his final days. Rich also ran cross country and track in high school.
Rich’s career took Linda and him all over the country. He spent a decade with Turner Construction in Cleveland and Columbus, OH, with a brief hiatus to serve our country in the U.S. Army in Fort Hood, TX. In 1979, Rich and Linda decided to grow their family with the birth of their beloved daughter, Heather. In 1981, they relocated to the suburbs of Washington, D.C. where he spent 12 years at Clark Construction Group. Notable projects during his time in the nation’s capital included helping to design and build the U.S. Holocaust Museum, as well as various buildings along Pennsylvania Ave. In 1993, the Buckner family moved to Brentwood, TN, where he worked for Centex Rodgers and played an integral role in the design and building of the Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt. In 2005, they found their way to Plano, TX and eventually Smyrna, GAwith positions at McCarthy Building Companies and Hardin Construction Company. In 2012, his retirement brought Rich and Linda back home to Franklin, TN.
While Rich’s career was certainly an important part of his time on this earth, there was no role he loved quite as much as the one of doting husband to Linda, loving father to Heather and son-in-law Trey, and adoring Poppy to Claire (14) and Emily (12). Heather’s fondest childhood memories include Saturday morning adventures to the National Zoo, family vacations to Williamsburg, summers in Canaan Valley, WV, plays at the Kennedy Center, Civil War battlefields (probably more of a highlight for Rich than Heather), and cheesy dad jokes. Heather attended the University of Georgia, a decision that ended up igniting a later-in-life passion in him for all things Georgia football…Go Dawgs! And in 2006, she and her husband Trey married, giving Rich the son he had always wanted.
Rich loved nothing more than doting on his granddaughters and spoiling them with love and attention. He rarely (if ever) missed a dance performance, cross country meet, track meet, choir concert, school program or graduation ceremony for either girl, and he worked hard to pass down his love of Georgia football, ice cream and national parks to both of them. Claire and Emily were lucky enough to visit five national parks with their belovedPoppy, most recently in December 2023.
In 2017, Linda retired and the two of them discovered a love of travel both near and far. In the last seven years, Rich and Linda have visited 15 countries, 15 states and 13 national parks, not to mention more lighthouses than one could ever count. Rich’s love for photography has gifted his loved ones with thousands upon thousands of pictures from these adventures that will be treasured memories for years to come. Rich was also a dedicated volunteer in the City of Franklin for the last decade, specifically with the Civil War Historical Commission and Franklin Alliance of Homeowner Associations (Ward 3).
Rich is survived by his wife, Linda Buckner; daughter, Heather (Trey) Schablik (Franklin); two grandchildren, Claire McCaslin and Emily Grace (Franklin); sister, Carol (Mike) Corry (St. Louis); nieces, Kelly Kildea (St. Louis) and Katie Parker (St. Louis); and other loved ones. He is preceded in death by his parents.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the M-CM Network (https://www.m-cm.net/donate), a nonprofit organization dedicated to research and awareness about macrocephaly-capillary malformation syndrome and in honor of his great niece, Alaina Parker.
A memorial service will be held at 2PM Thursday, October 3, 2024 at Williamson Memorial Funeral Home. Visitation will be 11:00AM until service time.
