Clifford "Cliff" Charles Buckingham

Preceded in death by loving wife of 59 years, Nan; and parents, Austey and Lucille Buckingham.

Survived by children, Elizabeth Welch, Dianne (Don) Fuhs, Clint (Alisa) Buckingham, and Laura (Mike) Schonlau; 11 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; siblings, Richard (Marty), Bonnie Tweedy, Ken (Aramae), and Mike (Jenny); large loving extended family and friends.

Our dad, Clifford "Cliff" Charles Buckingham, was born on April 8, 1939, to Clifford Austey and Lucille. Together, Austey and Lucille had five children, Dad, Bonnie, Rich, Ken and Mike. He completed elementary school at Monmouth Park School in Omaha and graduated from Omaha North High in 1957. Immediately following high school, Dad went into the Coast Guard serving our country until 1959; which was interesting, since he lived in a landlocked state....and he couldn't swim.

In 1959, on the campus of Omaha University, he noticed a beautiful woman in the lunch line. This was his future wife and love of his life...and our mom. They married on June 17, 1961, and honeymooned in Estes Park, which proved to be one of their favorite vacation spots. The following year, they started their family by welcoming their first daughter, Elizabeth, followed by Dianne, Clint, and Laura. Their children have all married and Mom and Dad gained two sons, Don (Dianne) and Mike (Laura), and a daughter, Alisa, who has been a God-send managing Clint. They each have grown families of their own, which Mom and Dad loved.

Upon graduation from Omaha University with a Bachelors in General Studies, Dad worked at Campbell's Soup and Omaha National Bank. While at the bank, he obtained his Masters in Business Administration. After a couple more corporate roles, he came home one day and informed our mom that he had purchased a truck...an 18 wheeler. He then went on to drive over the road for 17 years, where he learned to be a little more expressive. His love of driving never waivered; a quick trip to Montana to return the fudge pan was not uncommon. He finally retired to attend all his grandchildren's events.

Dad was lovingly called 'Papa' by his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Often times the house was filled with activity, laughter, and popsicle juice on the driveway. There was never a dull moment with eleven grandchildren; Kelsey, Callie, Caleb, David, Austey, Corrin, Cecelia, Blair, Allison, Lucy and Gezahegne and the eight great grandchildren, Olivia, CJ, RJ, Kingston, Judd, Milo, Charlie, and Ayla. Everyone knew that if you were in the area, you could stop by their house for a fudgesicle or a juice box and a chat in the driveway.

The grandchildren spent many hours at Gammy & Papa's eating popsicles, having popcorn and green kool-aid parties, dining on La Casa pizza or ice cream with chocolate and peanuts. Rides in the back of the paneled station wagon were often a treat and trips for morning coffee and donuts were always on the agenda. Oreos and milk were the treat before bed....well, really whenever you wanted them. Papa was known for his homemade ice cream on Fourth of July and popcorn popped over the stove while singing Buddy Holly.

Dad's love of sports included UNO Hockey, or really any UNO or UNL sporting event. His dedication to UNO hockey extended to traveling for many road games, volunteer equipment-hauler, and being a respected member of the Center Ice Club. He LOVED attending his grandkids sporting activities and was the most quiet cheerleader present. Send him a schedule and he would be there, rarely missing a game. Unfortunately, this became harder as the years went on and his health issues prevented it. He was also known to show up at a random high school football game just to watch the teams play.

Dad took pride in volunteering his time and talents in the church office, driving for the Crossroads prison ministry, and at Methodist Hospital in pulmonary rehab.

Dad cherished the impromptu family get togethers that occurred, as his love for family was strong. He was the 'head of the table' and believed in the respect of tradition. He was a man of his word; kind, loving, and giving...the most unselfish man.

He was a man of few words. However, when he did talk, his family would just pray it was appropriate for the audience within hearing shot. Dad LOVED to give people a hard time and enjoyed the banter he had with many. He never asked for much....except a continually filled glass of ice tea at the restaurant and his daily trips to Scooters to enjoy a cigar while working his crossword puzzles and people watching.

A visitation for Cliff will be held Sunday, April 14, 2024 from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM at Westlawn-Hillcrest Funeral Home, 5701 Center St, Omaha, Nebraska 68106. A celebration of life will occur Monday, April 15, 2024 at 11:00 AM at Westlawn-Hillcrest Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, memorials in Cliff’s name can be made to Camp Calvin Crest (2870 Co Rd 13, Fremont, NE 68025) or Nebraska Children’s Home (4939 S 118th St, Omaha, NE 68137).