FACULTY Coach Ken Buckles
2022-12-14 2009-08-29
BETTENDORF — Kenneth Lee Buckles, 77, of Bettendorf, died on Saturday, August 29, 2009, at his home after a nine-year battle with colon cancer and Parkinson’s Disease. Memorial services to celebrate his life will be held on Wednesday, September 2, 2009, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Paul Lutheran Church. The family will greet friends from 4 to 7 p.m. Tuesday at Weerts Funeral Home, Kimberly and Jersey Ridge in Davenport.
Kenneth was born in 1932 at Mercy Hospital in Davenport to Guy R. and Mable Buckles. He was united in marriage to Barbara Wood Granneman on September 16, 1977, in Rock Island, Illinois.
Kenneth was one of the most celebrated athletes in Davenport High School history, earning First team all-state honors in both basketball and baseball. He led Davenport High School to the 1950 state basketball championship and the state baseball championship in 1949 and 1950. He later was a three-year member and starting guard on the 1952-1953 Iowa Hawkeyes’ basketball team. He signed a professional baseball contract with the Cincinnati Reds in the spring of 1953 and played in their farm system for three seasons in the 1950s.
He and his brother Bob built three local swim clubs in 1961, 1962 and 1964 that were well-known as The Aqualetic Swim Club. Together they operated the business for over 30 years.
In 1971 he signed on as a volunteer boys’ basketball coach at Davenport West High School, assisting his good friend Dave Wessel for many years. Kenneth left for six seasons from 1979 to 1984 to coach the St. Ambrose Womens’ basketball team. After posting a 29-3 record and the school’s first trip to the National Championship Tournament, he returned to West High School, retiring in 1999. He was inducted into the Iowa High School Boys’ Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. Kenneth came out of retirement in 2007 and joined the Davenport Blue Devils basketball coaching squad as a volunteer assistant and helped them to a runner-up finish at the state tournament in Des Moines.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 32 years, Barbara; one son, Michael, of Bettendorf; one daughter, Lisa (Lyle) Lewis, of Milan, Illinois; two stepdaughters, Michelle (Stephen) Evans, of Bettendorf, and Cindy (Scott) Smith, of Davenport; seven grandchildren, Rachel, Karly, Leah and Peter Evans, and Nathan, Andrew and Maddi Smith; three sisters, Shirley (Richard) Heller, of Davenport, Ruth Reikeman, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Patricia Knapp, of Elwood, Indiana; one brother, Robert (Dolores) Buckles, of Palm Desert, California.
Kenneth was especially close to his brothers and sisters-in-law, Richard and Judy Cameron, of Des Moines, Gary and Bev Eyerly, of Des Moines, and Ernie and Jan Carlson, of Centerville, Ohio, and many very special nieces and nephews. Other close friends include David and Kathy Wessel.
He was preceded in death by his parents and older brother, Donald.
The family would like to express their thanks to Genesis Hospice for the compassion and care as well as to Dr. Costa Constantineau and his tireless and dedicated staff for all they have done for Ken during his lengthy illness. It was greatly appreciated.
Memorials may be made to: American Cancer Society, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Genesis Hospice or Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Online condolences may be expressed to Kenneth's family by visiting his obituary at www.WeertsFH.com
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Kenneth was born in 1932 at Mercy Hospital in Davenport to Guy R. and Mable Buckles. He was united in marriage to Barbara Wood Granneman on September 16, 1977, in Rock Island, Illinois.
Kenneth was one of the most celebrated athletes in Davenport High School history, earning First team all-state honors in both basketball and baseball. He led Davenport High School to the 1950 state basketball championship and the state baseball championship in 1949 and 1950. He later was a three-year member and starting guard on the 1952-1953 Iowa Hawkeyes’ basketball team. He signed a professional baseball contract with the Cincinnati Reds in the spring of 1953 and played in their farm system for three seasons in the 1950s.
He and his brother Bob built three local swim clubs in 1961, 1962 and 1964 that were well-known as The Aqualetic Swim Club. Together they operated the business for over 30 years.
In 1971 he signed on as a volunteer boys’ basketball coach at Davenport West High School, assisting his good friend Dave Wessel for many years. Kenneth left for six seasons from 1979 to 1984 to coach the St. Ambrose Womens’ basketball team. After posting a 29-3 record and the school’s first trip to the National Championship Tournament, he returned to West High School, retiring in 1999. He was inducted into the Iowa High School Boys’ Basketball Hall of Fame in 1978. Kenneth came out of retirement in 2007 and joined the Davenport Blue Devils basketball coaching squad as a volunteer assistant and helped them to a runner-up finish at the state tournament in Des Moines.
He is survived by his beloved wife of 32 years, Barbara; one son, Michael, of Bettendorf; one daughter, Lisa (Lyle) Lewis, of Milan, Illinois; two stepdaughters, Michelle (Stephen) Evans, of Bettendorf, and Cindy (Scott) Smith, of Davenport; seven grandchildren, Rachel, Karly, Leah and Peter Evans, and Nathan, Andrew and Maddi Smith; three sisters, Shirley (Richard) Heller, of Davenport, Ruth Reikeman, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Patricia Knapp, of Elwood, Indiana; one brother, Robert (Dolores) Buckles, of Palm Desert, California.
Kenneth was especially close to his brothers and sisters-in-law, Richard and Judy Cameron, of Des Moines, Gary and Bev Eyerly, of Des Moines, and Ernie and Jan Carlson, of Centerville, Ohio, and many very special nieces and nephews. Other close friends include David and Kathy Wessel.
He was preceded in death by his parents and older brother, Donald.
The family would like to express their thanks to Genesis Hospice for the compassion and care as well as to Dr. Costa Constantineau and his tireless and dedicated staff for all they have done for Ken during his lengthy illness. It was greatly appreciated.
Memorials may be made to: American Cancer Society, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Genesis Hospice or Michael J. Fox Foundation.
Online condolences may be expressed to Kenneth's family by visiting his obituary at www.WeertsFH.com
QC TIMES OBIT