Louise Buckley

A Long Life Well-Lived

Longtime community activist Louise Buckley died Friday, April 3, 2015, after a brief illness. She was 93.

After working at Lockheed Corporation in Burbank and later owning a travel agency in Woodland Hills, Buckley retired to Laguna Beach in 1994 and began volunteering for local organizations, including the American Legion, Woman’s Club, Exchange Club, and Chamber of Commerce.

She will be especially remembered as a deeply-committed, passionate advocate for Laguna’s rapidly growing older population. As past-president of Laguna Beach Seniors, she led a decade-long effort to build the town’s first senior center, The Susi Q, which opened in 2009.

“We had many naysayers, but we just kept our noses down and plowed ahead,” said former Mayor Elizabeth Pearson, who was serving on the Planning Commission when she met Buckley in the late 1990’s. Buckley and Virginia Schott led the Seniors at a critical period and enlisted Pearson’s help to raise money for a new senior center in order to expand services beyond the capacity of its present location in Legion Hall.

“She never gave up on our having a nice senior center. She epitomizes the idea that ‘if you can dream it, you can do it’,” said Pearson, who appreciated Buckley for her tenaciousness, warmth and desire to always dress her best.

She also found in Buckley a loyal, encouraging fan that told Pearson she tuned in to City Council meetings at least in part to watch her “in action.” Pearson left office last November. “She was like family to me and my loss is great at her passing,” Pearson said.

Even after the Susi Q opened, Buckley remained on the Laguna Beach Seniors board, becoming its longest-serving member, and received the agency’s Legacy Award in 2008.

A mischievous, free spirit ruled Buckley. For months, she and 20-year-friend Sande St. John had talked about getting together at the Montage resort, where a tuxedo-clad waiter dotes on guests with a formal silver service that befits “Downton Abbey.”

When the busy pair finally cleared their calendar and settled into the lobby, St. John started to order tea. Buckley would have none of it. “No, no, no. You do, tea. I’m having a drink,” Buckley told St. John and ordered whisky.

Tina Haines, the three-year president of Laguna Beach Seniors, also discovered a special bond with Buckley. Whenever the board encountered a setback, Buckley would reassure its members by recalling their accomplishments and recounting their mission. “She was a beacon, a compass that knew where to point to,” Haines said. “She never wavered.”

Even in recent days as she moved between a hospital and a rehabilitation facility, Buckley saw in her own situation a model for the sort of patient-advocacy the senior center could provide. “They need someone watching over their shoulder,” Buckley told Haines, referring to seniors that needed post-hospital treatment referrals.

“She was on it; she was always making a difference,” said Haines, noting that just three days before she died, Buckley “was still coaching me.”

And rather than mourn Buckley’s death, Haines feels invigorated by a responsibility to sustain her mentor’s approach. “That’s the beauty of a life well-lived,” she said.

In recognition of Buckley’s service in the Army Air Corps in World War II, she was the 2012 Patriot of the Year at the Laguna Beach Patriots Day Parade.

Buckley’s husband, Edwin, died in 1979; she is survived by daughters Mary Buckley, of Seattle, and Linda Buckley O’Neill, of San Diego. A memorial tribute at Laguna Presbyterian Church is pending and a gathering is also planned at The Susi Q at a later date.

The family has authorized the creation of the Louise Buckley Memorial Fund at Laguna Beach Seniors, 380 Third Street, Laguna Beach, CA 92651.

Correction:

An obituary for Louise Buckley in the April 10 edition had several errors. The article incorrectly reported the date of death of her husband, Edwin Buckley. He died in 1975. Daughter Mary Buckley resides in Portland, Ore. And in Buckley’s last week, she was taken to a rehabilitation facility, but not admitted, as reported.