Buckelew, Katherine
📷BUCKELEW (PICKEN), Katherine Mae “Polly” Katherine (Picken) Buckelew, aka “Polly” – who embodied the word “Mom” – singularly devoted to all those she called family and that included her closest friends, and those students who had the benefit of her influence at West Milford H.S., NJ and The Lovett School in Atlanta, GA, graciously passed on Saturday, February 18, 2023. Polly was a devoted wife to Richard Kent Buckelew (d. 2017) of 58 years, mother to three, grandmother to five, great- grandmother to one, friend to many, and a role-model of devotion, care, and love to all that met and knew her. Born on August 4, 1938 to Katherine Mae Elizabeth Rice and James Edison Picken in Collingswood, NJ, Katherine Mae nicknamed herself “Polly” in third grade, much to the chagrin and confusion of her mother. Polly excelled not only in her Home Economics Major at Montclair State University, NJ, but also with the University Women’s Basketball Club – the “Green Beans.” After finishing her undergraduate degree, Polly taught Home Economics at West Milford H.S., NJ. Then in 1979, she moved her family to Dunwoody, GA where she worked at Laura Ashley, Inc. prior to returning to education in the 1980s at The Lovett School. Polly lived her life with unparalleled devotion to Richard and her family and extraordinary grace that inspired all those that knew her. These qualities left a lasting impression on everyone she met and will be greatly missed by many. Local friends and family will be gathering on February 25, 2023, in Atlanta, GA to remember the love Polly shared with us all. Katherine is survived by her sons, Michael, Brian, and Ty; and her beloved grandchildren and great-granddaughter. In lieu of flowers, tax-deductible donations can be made to an organization near to her and Richard’s heart - the Fair Share Housing Development, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation: to make a secure online donation to FSHD, visit: www.fairsharedevelopment.org.
