NORWAY — Elsie E. Buck Knightly, 98, of Buckfield, entered into the glory of her Lord on Tuesday, March 14, 2017. She was born in the Darnit neighborhood in Buckfield on February 21, 1919, the daughter of Charles and Hattie Churchill Buck. When she was one year old, the family moved to the farm on Buck Hill, where she grew up. She graduated from Buckfield High School in 1936. In 1939 she married the young man next door, Bertrand Buck, and lived the rest of her life in that home at the top of Buck Hill. After Bert died in 1973, she continued the operation of the family dairy farm with the help of her sons and daughter. In 1978, she married Ralph Knightly, who died in 1986.
Elsie was very active in the neighborhood and community. She was a 4-H leader for many years, a member of the University of Maine Extension, the Buckfield Farm Bureau, and Mountain Grange No. 164 of North Buckfield, holding several offices over the years, most notably those of Lecturer and Chaplain. She served on the school board for the town of Buckfield for several years, and was a member of the first Board of Directors of SAD #39. Central to her life was her membership in and service to the Buckfield Community Church. She served on the Board of Deacons, and as a Sunday School teacher for many years, as well as other boards and committees. Over all these things, her devotion to her Lord, Jesus Christ, was paramount. Her life was lived not for herself, but for Him. She was a generous and kind person, always putting the needs and wants of those around her ahead of her own. Her best work was done in the privacy of prayer, and we may never know all the good that was accomplished in this world and in the lives of those around her because of her prayers.
She was an expert seamstress and an excellent cook. She loved quilting and made a hand sewn quilt for each of her 4 children. She was never idle. Sitting in the evenings with her feet up after a long day of farm chores and housework, she would be knitting mittens, crocheting a rug, peeling apples for applesauce, or working on mending. Her cookie jar was always full of her famous chocolate chip cookies, enjoyed by generations of nieces, nephews and grandchildren.
She is survived by two daughters, Nancy Buck and Kate Buck; two sons, John Buck and Nathaniel Buck & wife, Jan, all of Buckfield; five grandchildren, Carolyn Lebida (Sean) of Bowdoin, Jesse Buck (Sara) of Buckfield, Curtis Buck (Breanna) of Franklin, NY, Asa Buck (Erica) of Wyandotte, OK, and Levi Buck of Buckfield; five great-grandchildren, Grace, Samuel, Joshua & Matthew Lebida, and Noah McGehee; and a special niece, Susan Dublin of Bath.
In addition to her first and second husbands, she was predeceased by a daughter Frances, a son Charles, siblings Ethel Turner, Maud Ryerson, Philip Timberlake, Hazel Turner, Dwight Buck, Wilma Shadwell, Percy Buck, and Elva Fotter; an “almost” son-in-law, Jack Hackett; an “adopted” grandson, Daniel Danforth; and a special nephew, Paul Bennett, who was always willing to give a helping hand.
Online condolences and memories of Elsie may be shared with her family at www.chandlerfunerals.com.
