Willie M. Buck

Funeral services for Mrs. Willie M. Buck, 85, of Kilgore will be held on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 2:00 P.M. in the Rader Funeral Home Chapel with Reverend Riley Pippen and Chaplain Brad Clark officiating. Burial will follow at the Danville Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the funeral home Friday from 6:00 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. Mrs. Buck passed away on Monday, August 12 in Longview. 

Willie was born on April 12, 1939, in Houston, Texas, daughter of the late Gilpen Raney and Rena Crafton Raney. She met Donald Buck at Memorial Baptist Church and they were married on May 11, 1959. The Bucks moved to Arkadelphia, Arkansas to raise their two children. While in Arkadelphia they were active members of Cedar Grove Baptist Church. Willie served on many church committees, vacation bible school, and Christmas plays, lending her beautiful soprano voice for solos and in a quartet along with her husband Donald, Mayetta and Billy Joe Wilson. Willie and her family moved to Kilgore in 1984 for her husband Donald to own and operate Buck’s Barber Shop in downtown Kilgore where she was the bookkeeper. She worked at Kilgore First National Bank and Martin Gas. Willie was a member of Highland Park Baptist Church for 30 years. Willie served Highland Park Baptist Church as interim song director, choir member, and soloist. She made flower arrangements for Sunday services and at Christmas decorated the Sanctuary. Willie later joined Forest Home Baptist Church. While living at Arbor Grace Nursing Center she enjoyed playing bingo, working puzzles and word finds, and listening to the various singing groups that came in. 

She was preceded in death by her husband Donald; parents, two brothers, Thomas Raney and Jack Raney; sister, Mildred Scott; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, EW. and Joyce Buck, Elwin and Ruby Buck, Jr. and Carmen Buck, Tom and Katy Buck, Ronald Neal Buck, Julia “Dude” and R.W. Francis, Margaret and William Key, and Dr. Janiece Buck.

She is survived by her son, David Buck, daughter and son-in-law, Mitzi Hartfiel and husband Steve of Kilgore; grandson, Zach Hartfiel and wife Ashley of Longview; bonus grandson, Nick Zimmerman and wife Kailee of California; identical twin great-grandsons, Maddox and Maverick Hartfiel of Longview; close friend and caregiver, Helen Hensley, who she thought of as her angel; many nieces, nephews, and other family and friends. 

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Forest Home Baptist Church in Kilgore.