- Date Of Birth: November 20, 1934
- Date Of Death: April 7, 2022
- State: North Carolina
Francis Lloyd Arthur Buckmire, PhD., age 87, of Pittsboro, died on Thursday, April 7, 2022. Francis was born in Grenville, Grenada, on November 20, 1934, to the late Emmanuel Buckmire and Virginia Rouleau Buckmire. He and his brothers were raised in their home at Top Hill, and, in and around the family business, Parris’ Pharmacy. Growing up, Francis was an accomplished athlete and student, pursuing his education at the Grenadian Boys’ Secondary School, and ultimately leaving Grenada to pursue higher education in Canada. Ever the diligent student, he received his Bachelor of Agricultural Science Degree at the University of Toronto, in 1962, and a PhD in Microbiology at McGill University in 1967.
While in Montreal, he fell in love and married Virginia Edgar in 1963. They grew to a family of four over the next few years and made the big move to the United States. In 1970, Francis took a position on the faculty of the Medical College of Wisconsin, moving his young family to Milwaukee. A loving husband and father, he never missed a soccer match, a “home, and school” (PTA) meeting, or an opportunity to preach his thoughtful, kind, and decent philosophy of hard work and service to mankind. Francis remained a committed athlete into adulthood: a spin-bowler in cricket, an avid racquetballer, and a crafty– if unorthodox– tennis player. At the Medical College, he rose to the rank of associate professor of Microbiology. Over the years, he mentored, nurtured, and educated hundreds of medical students, graduate students, and colleagues, welcoming many into his home as a family for the holidays.
Francis left the medical school, moving to Maryland, in 1986 seeking other opportunities in education and research, landing at the Bethesda Naval Base, Howard University, and, eventually, Bennett College, where he had a profound effect on all those with whom he interacted. True to his lifelong philosophy of service, he lent his talents to numerous foundations and charities for the underprivileged, and for those in his native country of Grenada. Through the years he volunteered his time to read for the blind, prepare taxes for the AARP, and was deeply involved with the African American Health Program of Montgomery County, MD.
Fearrington Village became his home in 2013 when he and Virginia migrated south to be closer to family (and shovel less snow). These last few years, Francis enjoyed “Grand Sunday” dinners, quizzing his grandkids on their studies, inquiring about their future endeavors, and cheering for the Duke Basketball team, on which his grandson played.
Francis was predeceased by two sisters, Lysling Duncan and Avis Calliste. He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Virginia Buckmire, of Pittsboro, and sons, Bernard Clement (Judith) of Washington, DC; Dr. Michael Buckmire (Karen Fuller) of Phoenix, Arizona, Dr. Robert Buckmire (Jennifer), of Pittsboro, and five grandchildren, Nykesha and Chantel Clement, Michael Cameron Buckmire, Meredith, and Alyse Buckmire; as well as his three brothers, Kenneth Buckmire, Reginald Buckmire, and Orlando Buckmire (Mary Quamina).
“The heights by great men reached and kept were not attained by sudden flight, but they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.” ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
