Obituary of Buckles, Mary Margaret (Porter)

Mary Margaret Buckles passed away peacefully on Friday, March 26, 2021 in Dallas, Texas with her family at her side.  Mary was born on December 12, 1934 to Bernard and Margaret (Phillips) Porter in Mandan, North Dakota.   She grew up in North Dakota and went to high school in International Falls, Minnesota.  Mary’s  mother Margaret always impressed upon her the importance of an education and after high school she attended St. Catherine’s University in Saint Paul, Minnesota earning a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1956. In 1958, she married Dr. Jerome Schulte, M.D. and together they had four children: Gretchen, Gregory, Michael, and Sarah.  The subsequent years were spent raising her four children and continuing to work as a nurse.  After divorcing in 1970, Mary married Kenneth W. Buckles in 1972 and became a step-mother to Ken’s 4 children.  It was a full house!  Ken and Mary were happily married for 40 years until Ken’s passing in 2013. Mary was very creative and artistic, with a life-long love of the arts as well as crafting activities.  She used her talents to create beautiful floral arrangements, and later in her life, also paintings.  She also loved to travel whether it was going scuba diving in the Caribbean or loading up the kids in the station wagon for a road trip from Texas to Minnesota.  She traveled to many places around the world with her favorite traveling companion and best friend, Cathe Leggott. Mary had an outgoing personality and was always welcoming and engaging to all, regardless of whether she knew you for decades or five minutes.  She sparkled all the time – mostly because of her personality but also because of her impressive outfits! Ken and Mary moved from Colorado to Texas living in Midland, Richardson, and Houston before retiring to Canyon Lake, where they spent 20 years of enjoying “life at the lake.”  Mary was an active member of Saint Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church at Canyon Lake.  After Ken’s passing, Mary moved to an independent living community in the Dallas area to be closer to family.  In recent years, Mary bravely battled Alzheimer’s, but she was always a star and center of attention to the last. Mary is survived by her brother Patrick B. Porter, her four children, Gretchen (Matt) Buckley, Greg (Deborah) Schulte, Michael (Joanna Karger) Schulte, and Sarah (Gregg) Vandermark.  She has 5 grandchildren (Josh, Madison, Garrett, Max, and Esme) and 3 great-grandchildren (Austin, Hudson, and Wesley).  She is predeceased by both of her parents and her brother Michael. The family would like to acknowledge the wonderful care provided by the tremendous care-givers at Joy’s House in Dallas. Please leave condolences and share memories on this website.