Paul Gridley Bucklin

Paul Gridley Bucklin was born on March 18, 1936, to Jane Pauline (née Gridley) Bucklin and Seward H. Bucklin in Syracuse, NY. He was a lifelong outdoorsman, athlete, and community volunteer who earned his Eagle Scout award in 1952.

Paul was the president of Fayetteville-Manlius High School’s Class of 1954. He later attended the Syracuse University School of Forestry, spending his summers interning with the U.S. Forest Service in Colorado. During college, he also played semi-pro baseball for a local team and served in the U.S. Army ROTC, graduating in 1958.

After graduation, he was commissioned by the U.S. Army, serving two years on active duty and six years in the reserves, attaining the rank of captain. After joining the Army Reserves, Paul began his career with the Boy Scouts of America, where he worked for nearly 37 years.

On August 23, 1963, he married Gwendolyn Huebsch in Freehold, New Jersey. Paul’s career with the Boy Scouts of America took him and Gwen to several communities across the country, including Bergen, New Jersey; Hyde Park, New York; Moline, Illinois; Neenah, Wisconsin; Vacaville, California; and Westerville, Ohio. After retiring in 1996, Paul and Gwen settled in Sun City Hilton Head in South Carolina, where he became an active community volunteer and a friend to many. He was part of several tennis leagues and played baseball in the senior league. He and Gwen enjoyed taking friends, neighbors and their grandchildren to their log home near Asheville, NC, as well as to the beach on Hilton Head.

Paul was predeceased by his wife, Gwen, in 2024, as well as by his parents, his brother Dan, and his grandson Jack. He is survived by his brother Rodney (Jeanne), his son Scott (Edlyn), and his daughter Sarah Liberti (Matt). He was loved dearly by his grandkids: Susanna, Laine, Kate, and Evan Bucklin, and Josh Liberti. His ashes will be interred in accordance with his wishes on the Gridley Family Plot in the cemetery of Fayetteville, New York.