Doreen Buckley grew up in West Orange, New Jersey, with her parents, sisters, Rachel and Karen, and her baby brother Greg. She was a happy and inquisitive child, always asking a lot of questions. Doreen had her extended family close by, including her grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on both sides of her family. She was especially close with her cousin Louis. Doreen and Louis were so compatible that they told everyone they would get married one day.  

She attended Catholic school where she made friends easily and met her best friend Patrice. She took on responsibility early in life and began babysitting at age 11. She saved her money for new clothes. As she got older, she worked as a party aide with Patrice serving and cleaning up for parties in town. She enjoyed the local scene including Colgate Field and Jimmy Buff’s.

When Doreen was 16, her family moved to Coral Springs, Florida. Her Uncle Mike had been working in Florida over the winters and sang the praises of the sunny days and warm temperatures.

Her friends had an epic going-away party for her in Patrice’s backyard. The friends had spent a lot of time hanging out at the Burger King by the high school and, assuming the statute of limitations has run out, let’s say some of her friends brought the Burger King sign to the party, and that sign went with her to Florida and was turned into her headboard. 

Doreen got a job at Publix and worked in the bakery. She would take the trays from the ovens and walk around the store with her curvy, shapely body in her fitted uniform. She’d shimmy a bit and say, “Hot buns in the bakery, boys.” You could take the girl out of Jersey, but you can’t take the Jersey out of the girl.

After Publix, she had a job as a bank teller and was so meticulous that her drawer always balanced. She was still putting her bills in order in her wallet to the end. 

She tried nursing school, but decided on a different path. While working part time, she attended Broward Community College and later transferred to FAU where she earned a Bachelor’s degree in Communications.  In the meantime, the family enjoyed Sunday dinners together, and Doreen kept in touch with family and friends.

Doreen took a job at Video Digest magazine as a proofreader. She was an exceptional proofreader because of her attention to detail. Her next job was at CRC Press, where she proofread medical journals. From there, Doreen got a job at Birch-Scarborough Research and managed sample survey data for several markets. She took on an additional part-time job as a teller at Pompano Harness Track to earn extra money. She saved enough to get a shared place with her best friend Gilda.

It was at Birch-Scarborough Research where she met her partner Cathy. Cathy had recently moved to Florida for an IT job. Doreen had a way of making everyone feel welcome and included, especially Cathy. She also seemed to have more than her share of computer problems that Cathy had to come up to fix. Coincidence? The two became fast friends.

On the day before her 30th birthday, Doreen was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s disease. She was treated with radiation and went into remission. 

Doreen and Cathy both needed new jobs and moved to Atlanta, where her sister Karen was living. Doreen landed a job at SDR and worked managing sample survey data. Her cancer returned in 1993, and she almost died. This critical illness changed the course of her life. Her lungs were damaged, and she required supplemental oxygen. Despite this devastating setback, Cathy and Doreen continued to forge their lives together with the limitations she had.

Doreen was so much more than any job she held. She was a lifelong pen pal and letter writer. She will forever be remembered for her hand-written letters, cards, and notes. Her good wishes arrived in mailboxes everywhere. She touched lives near and far through her ongoing correspondence and holiday cheer. 

Doreen and Cathy purchased a home in 1995. She used to say it was “our house, a very, very fine house, with two cats in the yard”. Cats were actually a big part of their lives. Mimi and Baby are their current kitties.

Doreen also loved music. The words moved her. She carefully listened to the lyrics. One of her favorites was singer-songwriter Mary Chapin Carpenter. Cathy and Doreen enjoyed seeing Mary Chapin live in concert many times.

Seeking a new hobby, Doreen began decorative painting. She took painting classes for many years, and joined the local decorative painting chapter. She worked hard to improve her skills and became quite good. She was patient and precise with her strokes. This gave each piece depth of color. One of her favorite things to paint was Christmas ornaments. There is a whole tree dedicated to just her hand-painted ornaments in their home, and she also lovingly gave them to family. She always painted and donated ornaments to the Children’s Hospital at Christmastime for the kids. 

She received the Golden Palette award from the Dogwood Chapter of the Decorative Painting Society in recognition of service and dedication to the chapter. She participated in different roles including Secretary, proofreader of the chapter’s newsletter, and often volunteered to paint table favors. She looked forward to the chapter’s annual Paint-In retreat every year. It was a weekend of classes at a local state park. She arrived home all smiles and gave Cathy a show-and-tell of the projects she painted and the prizes she won at the raffle. Doreen got a lot of joy from the friends she made and the community she found in the Dogwood Chapter. 

They liked visiting Maggie Valley, NC, in the fall where they rented a cabin and spent time with their dear friend Gilda. They enjoyed the companionship, cooler temperatures, and the beautiful fall colors.

Doreen and Cathy enjoyed many cruises visiting Alaska, Vancouver, Montreal to Boston, Pacific Coast, and the Norwegian Fjords in addition to the Caribbean. 

She was a super-empath. She felt other people’s pain.  This influenced her interest in politics. She believed in the Democratic Party and was an advocate of the underdog and the underserved. She was filled with compassion.

She will be remembered for her thoughtfulness and kindness, warmth, generosity, courage, welcoming spirit, and beautiful smile.

Doreen passed away Thursday, October 29, 2026 from respiratory failure at the age of 67. We played Mary Chapin Carpenter’s song “In My Heaven” as she left us.  Doreen has no more aches and no more pain. She can breath  easy in her heaven. She’ll enjoy little white lights everywhere, cats, music, and she is surrounded by her loved ones including Daddy, Uncle Mike, Uncle Sal, Ritchie, and Kristie. 

She is survived by her partner of 37 years, Cathy.
Her Mother, Rachel.
Her Aunt Marie.
Her sister Rachel, nephew Christopher, his wife, Veronica, and great-niece Josephine.
Her sister Karen, niece Natalia, and nephew Evan.
Her brother Greg, nephew Ryan, and niece Julie.

She will be missed by the family and friends whose life she touched.

If you feel the desire to make a donation in her name, please donate to a local food bank, an animal shelter, your local PBS station, or the Blood Cancer United (formerly the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society).

A celebration of life will be planned for a date in the future.

Georgia Cremation – Duluth is assisting the family with arrangements.