Charles "Buck" Buxton

Charles ‘Buck' Buxton, 75, died on December 19th, 2020 after a brave and stoic battle with cancer. He was a true renaissance man, liable at any moment to break into a vault of memorized poetry, cook you a gourmet meal, dazzle you with his portfolio of travel photography or pour you a glass of his homemade cooking wine (joking Pops, couldn't resist, you were a talented winemaker as well =)). He was the type of man who would toddle off to bed before all the guests had left his party, who did push-ups every morning, read multiple books at one time, would look at his kids and say "you know you guys are really great" as his way of saying I love you. So many things in this world will forever be attached to Buxton's memory. He was never a teacher in the traditional sense, but instead believed in actions, and through his own he taught those around him how life could be lived. The youngest son of John and Lois Buxton, he grew up in Little Rock, Ark. He did the things done there in the fifties. He had a paper route, played on the high school football team at Hall High, loved to fish, hunt and pal around with his best friend Phillip. He was the younger brother of two sisters and enjoyed being courted by them for his support in any family issue, for his backing was key in securing the majority. He went on from Hall High to the University of Arkansas where he joined the Kappa Sigma fraternity and earned an engineering degree. Following graduation, and in the tradition of his father, he joined the Officer Candidate School for the Marines, doing his training at Quantico. But Buck decided not to stay in the Marines and went to Vietnam in 1968 as a road contractor, working for a consortium of four large American construction companies that went by their company initials, RMK-BRJ. Buck's initial assignment was as a scheduling engineer at the Tan Son Nhut airport, on the edge of Saigon. His childhood friend Phillip saw him there when he was on an in-country R and R in Saigon and commented, "that it looked like Buck had the run of the place". While in Vietnam Buck made friends with two brothers, also working for RMK-BRJ at the time, who would have a profound impact on the trajectory of his life. On returning to the US, he joined a real estate developer in Southern California where he met his beloved Trish, who was working as a flight attendant for Pan American Airlines. He and Trish traveled the world together before settling down and starting a family. In their home, hanging on the wall, they had a world map with pins of three different colors stuck into it. One was for places Trish had been, one for places Buck had been and one for places they had been together. They moved from L.A., to Little Rock Ark., where Buck started his own construction company, but after a failed project with a developer, Buck and Trish made their way to San Jose in 1978. Shortly after, in 1980, they had their first child. Like many others before them, the world travel slowed up a bit once the kids came, although it didn't stop them from trying as Buck loved to tell Sean how he and Trish had taken him to Rio (stowing Sean under the seat in front of them like a piece of carry-on luggage) before he was even one year old. Together, He and Trish (let's be fair, mostly Trish) created a storybook childhood for their children and filled it with travel and adventure before Trish's tragic death in 1992. In the mid-80s, Buck and Trish built a second home in Kirkwood and it became a magical and special place for Buck and his family. A lasting legacy was created, full of treasured memories and stories of hiking, fishing, biking, skiing, snowshoeing and shenanigans. Buck joined L and D Construction in 1981 where he worked with the two brothers, Mike and Steve, he had met in Vietnam. They remained great friends for more than 50 years, working, scuba diving, crabbing, fishing and traveling together. At L and D, Buck managed the construction of many residential housing projects in numerous cities in the Bay Area. Most of this work was building much needed ‘affordable housing', for people of limited income. He finished his long successful career and retired from L and D in May 2019. Buck was passionate about adventure travel. To put the term ‘adventure' in perspective, the types of trips he enjoyed most were ones like in 2008, when Buck and friends made a trip to Bhutan that included hiking 120 miles in eight days in the Himalayan Mountains, and camping and hiking in the snow at elevations over 16,000 ft. He also did a trip to Peru that included hiking in the Andes for five days at elevations over 15,000 ft. Trips to Africa and Russia with his partner Kathryn and his sister Mary and brother-in-law Ralph were also some of his recent favorites. Buck also loved to run and bike outdoors. He completed several marathons in his 30s. His love of cycling grew as he got older and the joints got creakier. The seed was planted with family bike rides locally and in Kirkwood, grew in earnest as he chased the Bannisters around the south bay before they moved to Oregon, finally exploding into a full-fledged passion with his private cycling club "The Three Amigos". The amigos meant the world to Buck. As one story goes…One day the Amigos sauntered out for a small, leisurely trek down the coast (300-miles to be exact!). They had just completed, or so they thought, a particularly arduous segment into Big Sur. As they arrived, Lenny and Jim, the other two amigos, were grateful to stop, but Buck implored them to proceed just around the next bend (a five-mile, uphill in both directions, hill) to a restaurant where he and his late wife Trish had dined. They obliged and Buck was so thrilled his friends joined him, in turn Buck regaled them with the retelling of their meal. Buck lived a vibrant life. A true outdoorsman and lover of the wild. He was Pops to his son Sean. Dad to his ‘lil bit' Natasha. Gramps to Avery and Brynn. Buxton to his partner Kathryn and Buck to his many, many friends. Authentic to a fault in all his roles, he was a man always after a fine story, a beautiful image, an abalone dive or a big fish. Always curious of what was around the next bend, seeing the world not just through his camera lens, but immersing himself physically and mentally. Buck is survived by his children Natasha and Sean, his grandchildren Avery and Brynn, and his sister Mary Cotham. He is predeceased by his wife Patricia Anne Buxton and his sister Margaret Buxton. Unfortunately, due to Covid, we will not be able to gather immediately and celebrate Buxton's many geographical and culinary escapades. Regardless, we will celebrate him. We will plan something in the Bay Area and also in Little Rock, Ark., once it is safe to travel and gather again. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to any wildlife or nature conservation effort. Buck, you are loved and missed. Be at peace.